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 Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We welcome all of our guests who join us this weekend, as we
celebrate with our second graders their First Holy Communion. I’d
like to thank Connie Anderson, our D.R.E., and all of our teachers
and catechists who worked so hard to get our First Communicants
ready for this weekend. It was a lot of work. But the payoff
yesterday was really worth it. We take Sacramental preparation very
seriously here at St. Maria Goretti. We thank all of the children
and their parents for their openness and willingness to work with
us, for the good of the Faith of the children and the good of the
Church. Congratulations to all of those who are now joining us for
Holy Communion! We are very proud of ALL of you! A complete list
of those who made their First Communion yesterday does appear
elsewhere in this bulletin. Check it out.
This Tuesday is the Indiana primary election. I’d like to
take this opportunity to remind all of us just how important it is
for all of us to vote.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
says in #2239 and #2240…
“It is the duty of citizens to
contribute along with the civil authorities
to the good of society in a spirit of
truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom.
The love and service of one’s country
follow from the duty of gratitude
and belong to the order of charity.
Submission to legitimate authorities
and service of the common good require
citizens to fulfill their roles in
the life of the political community.
Submission to authority and
co-responsibility for the common good
make it morally obligatory
to pay taxes, to exercise the right to
vote, and to defend one’s country.”
“Morally obligatory” pretty much says it all. We’ve got to vote
this Tuesday. Yes, I know it’s “only” a primary. And yes, I also
know that in many individual races, there’s not even a choice.
Still, we need to go vote. And our Faith and our morality have got
to influence our voting. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
put out a wonderful little pamphlet for this election year, entitled
“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship : A Call to Political
Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States”. We
have purchased a great number of these pamphlets and they are
available in the church narthex on the information table. Please
pick one up today and take a look at it BEFORE Tuesday. As Catholic
Christians, we have a lot to consider and know about before we cast
our votes this week. Our morality not only demands that we vote,
but that we take several of our Church’s teachings into account as
we vote. READ the pamphlet! The Bishops didn’t write the document
to waste your time. We aren’t providing them just to give you
something else to read. This is a big year for our country. There
are many big issues facing us as a nation. In a democracy, we need
to choose wisely and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Please
take the time to go and vote in the primary election on Tuesday.
It is our duty.
Bishop William Higi makes his annual pastoral visit to
St. Maria Goretti this coming Friday evening. The Bishop will be
here to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our young
people. The Confirmation Mass will be at 7:00 PM this Friday
evening, May 9th.
The entire Parish is invited to come and join the Bishop, as he
calls down the Holy Spirit on our candidates for Confirmation and
anoints them with Sacred Chrism. It is a beautiful Mass. We are
also very proud of all of those who have completed their formation
for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Next weekend is the Feast of Pentecost and the end of our
Easter season. We will keep our Pentecost tradition once again this
year, of having our annual Ministry Fair after all of our Masses
next weekend. The Parish Council and our Parish Volunteer
Coordinators invite all members of our Parish family to come over to
the Stuart-Gadus Fieldhouse next weekend and to prayerfully consider
how you might be able to get more involved and share your talents
and gifts with our community. The Ministry Fair also serves as our
first opportunity to sign-up for this summer’s Italian Festival,
which needs hundreds of volunteers. Please plan now on coming over
next weekend after whichever Mass you attend. May the same Holy
Spirit that guided the Apostles guide you to exactly what you NEED
to be doing. Hey, and don’t forget to wear something red next week,
for the Holy Spirit and Pentecost!
Have an awesome week! Let us keep one another in prayer!
In Christ,
Fr. Kevin
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak.
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