June 08, 2025
Dear Friends,
The refrain we sing in today’s responsorial psalm, “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth,” encapsulates the meaning and hope of the feast of Pentecost. Through this prayer, we give voice to the groanings of all humanity, and of all creation, that God would allow all that he has created as good to embody and manifest, once again, his own goodness through the action of his Spirit. It is not a request for God to do away with what he has already created, which has been marred by the reality and effects of sin and death, so that he might start again from scratch. Rather, it is the expression of our longing that, through his creative and healing Spirit, God will make all things and all people new in Christ.
Of course, the universal renewal for which the psalm pleads has already begun in the Risen Christ, who through his glorious resurrection has conquered sin and death forever. All through the Easter season we have proclaimed and celebrated this truth, as we have pondered and participated in the new life that the Risen Christ shares with us through Baptism. And while we await, in hope, the glorious day when God will send out his Spirit to renew all of creation, we are called to experience that ongoing renewal in our lives as disciples. That is why, as a community of disciples and as individual disciples, you and I must constantly be asking the Lord to send His Spirit to us, so that we can be renewed in our identity and commitment as his sons and daughters.
Over the last two years, we have been on a Renewal Journey as a parish. In the first year, we spent time listening to each other share stories about our parish’s past, present, and future. The experience of telling and hearing those stories was an encouraging and enriching experience for so many. It allowed us to recognize how God has abundantly blessed our parish, continues to bless us, and desires to bless us in the years to come.
Last October, we began the second year of our Renewal Journey with plans to “learn to discern” together how the Holy Spirit is guiding us to renewal now, so that we can live with even greater faithfulness and fruitfulness. However, those plans were unexpectedly put on hold when Bishop McClory asked me to become pastor of St. Joseph Church, while continuing to serve as your pastor. It seemed that God was asking us to discern how we could relate to our neighboring parish in new ways, before proceeding to discern God’s particular vision for us.
But this temporary hold on our plans to learn to discern together the future of our parish allowed us to discover new ways to learning the art of discerning together. Many parishioners took the opportunity to experience communal learning and discerning through our many faith-sharing small-groups. In October and January, these groups participated in our two “Sensing Faith” series. Through guided conversations, participants explored some of the devotional art in our church, liturgical music that we sing in our worship, and the Word of God proclaimed to us at Sunday Mass. Then, during Lent and Easter, groups explored the how our faith helps us experience peace amid the challenges of stress and anxiety, as well as how prayer enriches our lives and relationships.
I am so grateful to the facilitators and participants of these faith-sharing groups. I know that their encounters and conversations were rich and rewarding experiences. These groups helped formed new connections between parishioners, and they have helped the Renewal Journey Coordinating Team and me to explore how we might invite more parishioners to be equipped and formed by the Spirit for the important work of discernment that we will soon undertake as a parish. In an insert included in this bulletin, our Coordinating Team members share with you some of what they take away from the past year; please take the time to read their insights.
So, what comes next? The Coordinating Team and I will be preparing more opportunities for parishioners like you to learn to discern together who and what God is calling us to be as a parish for years to come. My prayer is that more and more parishioners will take the time to join us in this vital journey for the life and future of our parish. I am more convinced than ever that the God is sending his Spirit renew us and our parish, as part of the work of renewing the face of the earth.
Peace,
Father Leo