Pastors Corner

Fr. Michael Olivere

Dear Friends,

We celebrate this weekend the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This great feast, in which we honor God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is a reminder to us of the awesome mystery of our God, a mystery which, in many ways, is too mind-boggling for us to understand with our mere human brains. Ultimately, however, this ancient feast is a way for us to remember the first thing we learned about God, which is also the most important thing: the fact that God loves us, with a love that is so great and so profound that God wants nothing more than to share his life with us. The love that the Persons of the Trinity have for one another is a perfect love. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Spirit, the Spirit loves the Father, in a perfect communion of love. Their love for one another has existed always and will never end. Our celebration today reminds us that the Persons of the Trinity want to draw us into the love they share with one another, and want to make us a part of the communion of love that they share. Aren’t we blessed to be children of such a loving God?

I spoke to you last week about the fact that, according to the standards that the city of Philadelphia recently issued, we will be able to open our church to full capacity on the weekend of June 12 and 13. This means that our Sunday Masses will basically be celebrated the way we celebrated before COVID, with a few exceptions, e.g., we still will not be offering each other the Sign of Peace and we will not be receiving Holy Communion from the chalice (except, of course, for the priest celebrant). The weekend before June 12-13 I will review with you the basic points you need to know about our full opening. We have been asked by the city officials, for the time being, to continue to wear masks in church, so I am asking you to please abide by that request. Please join me in thanking God that the pandemic seems to be subsiding and that we are one step closer to normalcy.

This Monday we observe Memorial Day, and we keep in memory particularly those men and women who offered the supreme sacrifice in the service of our great country. We will be celebrating one daily Mass on this national holiday, at 9:00 A.M. Please join us as we celebrate the Eucharist in memory of all those veterans who have gone before us, and remember especially those who gave their lives that we may live in freedom and peace.

 I once again ask you, if you have not already done so, to please make your Catholic Charities and Saint Charles Seminary Appeal donations for 2021.  It would be a wonderful thing if we had 100% participation in these important annual appeals from every wage earner and/or household in the parish. Your sacrificial gifts, no matter how large or small, will make a big difference in the lives of those most needy who are served by Catholic Charities, as well as our seminarians who benefit from the seminary appeal. Thank you, as always, for your generosity.

I remind you again that our 90^th anniversary book is completed and is available at the rectory. There are a limited number of books available. We are asking for a donation of $25 per book. Books may be purchased at the rectory on any weekday between 9 AM and 2 PM. More information and an order form may be found elsewhere in this bulletin.

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

                                                                                    Love and prayers,
                                                                                    Father Olivere