Weekend of January 20-21, 2024

Dear Friends,

From January 9^th through 14^th, I was the director for a retreat for some of our seminarians at Daylesford Abbey, in Paoli (that is the reason why you didn’t see me last weekend). I directed a total of 16 men, all of whom are members of the Pre-Theology I or Pre-Theology II classes (they are all in their second or third year of their seminary formation).

It truly was a privilege to be with these men over the course of those six days. Their seriousness in their prayer and in the silence of the retreat was truly edifying to me, as was their charity and kindness to me and to each other during these days of retreat. It is obvious to me that these young men have responded to God’s call with generous hearts, and I truly believe that the Church and the priesthood are in good hands with these fine men as our future. I would ask you to please pray for them and for all our seminarians, that they will continue to persevere in their vocation and will always respond to the call of God to generously give of themselves to him and to his People.

This coming Thursday evening our second level PREP students and our Blessed Trinity second graders will be receiving the Sacrament of Penance for the first time. I ask you to please remember our children in prayer this week, as they open their hearts to receive God’s mercy and peace in this great sacrament of healing and reconciliation.

Next Sunday, January 28^th, we will be officially beginning Catholic Schools Week 2024, with the 9:15 Mass. This special Mass will be an opportunity for all of us to gather as a parish family to celebrate the great gift of Catholic education, and to thank God for the blessing that Blessed Trinity School continues to be in the life of our parish community. We especially invite our school children and their families to celebrate this special liturgy with us.

Pope Francis has declared today, which is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, to be the Sunday of the Word of God, in order to promote a closer relationship with Holy Scripture and its dissemination in the world. "A day devoted to the Bible should not be seen as a yearly event but rather a year-long event, for we urgently need to grow in our knowledge and love of the Scriptures and of the risen Lord," the pope wrote. "For this reason, we need to develop a closer relationship with Sacred Scripture; otherwise, our hearts will remain cold and our eyes shut, struck as we are by so many forms of blindness." The Holy Father continued, "The Bible is not a collection of history books or a chronicle, but is aimed entirely at the integral salvation of the person."

The Holy Father noted that "The Bible cannot be just the heritage of some, much less a collection of books for the benefit of a privileged few. It belongs above all to those called to hear its message and to recognize themselves in its words [for it] is the book of the Lord's people, who, in listening to it, move from dispersion and division towards unity. The word of God unites believers and makes them one people."

Let us commit ourselves, as people of faith, to treasure the Sacred Scriptures even more, to make sure we read the Bible every day, and to put into practice what it is we read and learn from the Word of God that is so generously shared with us within it.

I remind you that at this time our annual seminary appeal is in progress. This year’s appeal’s theme is Saint Charles Seminary: For today. For tomorrow. For all of us.  We are reminded, especially in this theme, that the seminary exists not just to prepare future priests, but to also prepare future permanent deacons and their wives for ministry, and to educate lay women and men in theological studies, especially for their work in Church ministries, such as teaching or other forms of pastoral service. You should have received a direct mailing from the seminary for this annual appeal, and may use the envelope enclosed in your mailing to send your contribution directly to the seminary, which is the preferred method. For those of you who didn’t receive this mailing from the seminary, or misplaced it, there are extra envelopes available in the vestibule of the church for your convenience. I ask you, as always, to be as generous as possible in this important annual appeal. Thank you in advance for your generous sacrificial gift.

            Know that you and those you love are daily remembered in my Mass and my prayers.

                                                                                    Love and prayers,

                                                                                    Father Olivere