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 Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Welcome to our 2007 Italian Festival! We especially greet
all of our visitors who join us for our celebration. Thank you for
coming out and spending this fun time with all of us. I’d also like
to especially thank Joe and Nora Bentivoglio and Ben and Kristan
Russell, all of the individual committee chairs, and all of the
hundreds of volunteers that it takes to put on the Festival. The
annual Festival reminds us of how important it is for us to work
together with God AND with one another to build up the Kingdom of
God. It also reminds us just how much FUN it is when we do this
together. We are so blessed with such awesome individuals here at
this Parish that one of the most enjoyable things that we have
experienced is getting to know one another in this community. Even
others can see it. A couple of years ago, Bishop Higi was visiting
St. Maria Goretti, and he made the comment: “These people really
enjoy being with one another and spending time together.” I was a
little surprised at this comment. Apparently, not all parishes like
to spend as much time together as what we do. We are blessed!
We are celebrating this weekend and having the Festival
because on July 6th,
we celebrated the Feast of St. Maria Goretti. The Italian Festival
is always held on the second Saturday of July, and since the first
of July fell on Sunday this year, the Festival is the farthest away
from the actual Feast Day that it has ever been or ever can be. And
while it’s been awhile since the Feast Day, we are celebrating and
remembering this weekend the extraordinary patroness that we have in
St. Maria Goretti. She was young. She was pure. She was constantly
helping all of those around her. She treasured her Faith. She was
merciful. She loved her family. She was a person of prayer. She
lived out what she believed. St. Maria Goretti is a Saint for us
all. We honor her today and every day and seek to make our lives
like hers. What a good role model she is for all of us!
Today we also celebrate our community. It takes a lot of
work to be a community. It takes a lot of getting out of yourself
and thinking more about others. This community, under the patronage
of St. Maria Goretti, has always banded together to do more.
Whether it was starting a school or putting on a Christ Renews His
Parish weekend, this community has always come together to make
great things happen. Many sacrifices have been made by all of us so
that we can enjoy the many blessings that we do. From our
incredible new church, to our daily commitment to Eucharistic
Adoration, from our school and PRE programs, to the Holy Name
Society and the Altar Rosary Society, and from our HELP Committee
and Shepherd’s Gate Food Pantry to the Temple Knights of the Holy
Eucharist, we have created a Catholic community that is so much more
than the sum of its members. God has done this through US!
We do invite everyone to join us in this mission that God
has given us. If you are Catholic and not practicing, maybe it’s
time to come home. We’d love to have you be a part of our Parish
family. We can help you to do this. If you are not Catholic, or
maybe you’ve never been anything at all, or maybe you’ve never even
been Baptized, we invite you to consider joining the Catholic Church
and our community. And we would love to have you with us also! Our
RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) process is one
of the best around. The Pre-Catechumenate of the RCIA begins on
Monday evening, August 13th
at 7:00 PM in the Parish Narthex. Maybe this is your time to
consider joining the Catholic Church. We need everybody, you
know! There is one Kingdom. There is one Church. Every one of us
is part of it. And it is magnificent to behold!
Let’s build a Kingdom. Let’s preach the Good News.
Let’s tell St. Maria Goretti’s story with our own lives. Let’s take
care of the poor, and the grieving, and the lonely. Let’s use the
Sacraments to take care of our souls. Let’s love and take care of
one another as we do what God asks us to do. Let’s spend time
adoring our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Let’s go on some
retreats. Let’s be pure and holy. Let’s be people of prayer.
Let’s respect life in all of its forms. Let’s be peacemakers.
Let’s forgive one another. Let’s put the past in the past and move
on together towards a better future. Let’s welcome the stranger and
make them feel at home. Let’s comfort the dying and pray for the
sick. Let’s be Church! Let’s eat some pasta and a cannoli. Let
us celebrate and rejoice, for just look at what God has done through
us!
Enjoy the Festival! Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Kevin
Read the Bible. It will scare the hell out of you.
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