Pastor’s Desk

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

Though we are only at the mid-point of August, our new academic and religious education school years are beginning. On Tuesday the 12th, we had our Back-to-School Mass with our elementary school students, plus many of their parents and grandparents. Every year, I am amazed at how young the youngest of them are, but even more so this year. We have added a Transitional Kindergarten for the year before Kindergarten. So the youngest at Mass today were four years old! The most distinguishing feature of these youngest students’ behavior is their shyness. When they came up at Communion time, with their parents, many of them had older siblings who presented themselves confidently to receive Communion. Many of the TKers turned away from me or hid behind their mothers or fathers when I attempted to impart a blessing. Some children – especially babes in arms – love the blessing and are transfixed when I try to make eye contact with even the youngest of them. Their trusting eyes follow my hand as impart the blessing with the sacramental gesture. As they get a bit older, they become more self-conscious and therefore shy, and in time they grow out of that as well. Welcoming them and their families is one of my greatest joys as pastor. On Friday, August 15th, we will have celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the parish and the school.

As for our older students, it’s amazing what a difference even a short summer can make. Many of them have visibly grown, and some have visibly matured. In the past, the common practice at home was to mark off their heights on a door jamb or wall. In those cases, many of our students have notched up over the past year or even few months.

Our incoming TK students are on track to be the high school graduating class of 2039, and (if they choose to go) the college graduating class of 2043 or 2044. They are on track to live past year 2100. (And who knows? My 93-year-old father’s life expectancy when he was born in 1932, was 62.) The children of our youngest students may well live past 2135 or well beyond. It’s the longest of long-term projects, which I think is very difficult to sustain without a strong and practical faith in the goodness and providence of God. I have enormous regard for their parents – not just those of our elementary school but of any school – who do all in their power to provide their children’s future.

Our Religious Education programs, whether based in the school or in the parish, are intended to provide parents with support in laying a strong spiritual foundation which will guide them through the course of their lives.

This brings me to a different, but related, topic. Early in September, our parish will be holding a Ministry Fair – i.e., an opportunity for all parishioners to familiarize themselves with the range of parish ministries, with the hope of encouraging us to apply to serve in one or more of them. This includes Eucharistic Ministers (whether at Mass or in care facilities), Readers, Ushers, Altar Servers, adult Acolytes, Sacristans, Religious Education volunteers, and others as well. The clearest indicator of the health and strength of any parish is its ability to generate vocations – ordained or lay – to serve the People of God. We have been hit with a double-whammy: COVID and the retirement of Deacon Jim, who did so much for our parish over many years. A new generation of ministers needs to be recruited and placed in a ministry of their choosing. Our present and future as a vibrant parish depends on the vitality of new volunteers, and your willingness to make an investment in the present and future of our parish.

I wish you all a fruitful end of this summer season.

Blessings, Fr. Bill Donahue