Entries by Fr. Bill Donahue

Pastor’s Desk ~ June 11, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, I’d like to follow up with a few odds and ends regarding the parish premises. The repair and painting project on the hall and garage are nearly complete. During the preparation work, we discovered repairs that needed to be made, including part of the roof of the Parish Hall, the roof and […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ June 4, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, Both of our parish schools – SVHS and SVES – hold graduation ceremonies in our church. The beautiful, reverent and somewhat formal setting lends an appropriate air of solemnity to these milestone events. That doesn’t stop some groups of supporters from expressing their special enthusiasm for a favorite son or daughter as […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ May 28, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, This time of year is for milestones and goodbyes, with new challenges on the horizon: First Communions, Confirmations, graduations. Some graduations will lead to another local school, a college or university further from home, career training, or a new job. Graduations have a valedictory quality, hence the “valedictorian” who delivers the farewell […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ May 14, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day. While there are many images of loving (not to mention powerful) mothers in the Old Testament, there is also the Fourth Commandment: “Honor thy father and thy mother.” At the most basic level, that commandment is a call to respect an inescapable fact: Our relationship with […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ April 30, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, At this time of year, I sign hundreds of documents: Baptismal certificates for those receiving other sacraments, First Communion and Confirmation certificates, diplomas from two schools, contracts for teachers and staff from two schools, you name it, all in addition to the usual checks, letters and Mass cards that need to be […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ April 23, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, First of all, I would like to thank the many people who worked so hard to make our celebrations on Palm Sunday, Holy Week, the Triduum, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday both inspiring and memorable. This was the first Holy Week and Easter that we returned to the full pre-COVID form […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ April 16, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, After Lent, Holy Week and Easter, we are now at the end of Easter Week, or the octave of Easter. It’s called the “octave” because this Sunday is the eighth day after Easter, counting inclusively as they did in the ancient world. Those of us who are a little older can remember […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ April 2, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, Nearly all of you have noticed the netting and scaffolding around the parish hall, which is being repainted. Since the parish hall is the parish building most exposed to sunlight on all sides, it is in most need of maintenance. The real work of the project is in the preparation, and most […]

Pastor’s Desk ~ March 26, 2023

Dear Fellow Parishioners, I was happy to convey in my Easter letter that, for the first time in four years, our celebrations of Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter will be back to their pre-COVID form. The Passion Gospels will be read in parts, including the congregation. The last remnant of COVID observance – offering […]