Pastor’s Desk ~ June 1, 2025

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

These are very busy weeks, with graduations, ordination anniversaries and, sadly, farewells.

First of all, I ask your prayers for our talented and dedicated office manager, Noelia Gonzalez. Her husband Bonifacio, for whom we have been praying for weeks, finally passed from a cancer he valiantly fought to the end. Before you read these words, his funeral will have taken place. They are immensely dignified and private people, but I know they will appreciate your prayers and best wishes. He leaves behind a lovely family, three children and multiple grandchildren, whom we pray will reunite, redeemed and reconciled, in the presence of Our Risen and Ascended Lord.

On a much happier note, this Sunday, June 1st, is Fr. Mauricio Rodriguez’s first anniversary of ordination. There will be celebration in the Parish Hall right after the 12:00 noon Spanish Mass. Most priests (including me) need many years to work out the basic challenges of parish life, but Fr. Mauricio has taken to ministry, as they say, “like a duck takes to water.” I really admire the way in which he has formed a bond with the parish, especially the Hispanic community. While everyone has their particular strengths, I’ve never had a more dedicated associate. And, for good measure, he’s cheerful and has a great sense of humor. May God bless him with many, many years of ministry.

On an entirely different subject, this morning I presided over the Graduation and End-of-Year Mass for our elementary school. As I was speaking to them, I was very mindful of a recent column by David Brooks of the New York Times. Not long ago, when he was speaking on a college campus, a very bright senior told Brooks, “We are the most rejected generation.” Brooks agreed, and explained why.

First, there are admission rates at universities, especially the elite ones. In 1959, roughly half of college-bound students applied to only one university. Now students feel they need to apply to 20 or 30 colleges hoping that at least one or two of them will accept them. Summer internships are no better. One student applied for 40 internships, and was rejected by 39. Some students believe that they need to apply for 150-250 different internships hoping that at least a few won’t reject them. This creates a growing vicious circle of ever more applicants competing for a limited number of positions. In this Internet age, since it is fairly easy to submit college and job applications, millions of young people send out hundreds of applications each, thereby multiplying the numbers of rejections each applicant will receive. It is not unheard of for people to send out, say, 400 job applications and have every one rejected. This seems largely due to the sheer weight of numbers of applications made possible by electronic means.

The same dynamic is repeated whenever dating is done over any number of internet apps. Participants are able to accept or reject a potential boyfriend or girlfriend who has posted their photo and personal qualities, simply by “swiping” right or left to accept or reject. Unlike in the past, it is now possible to receive dozens, if not hundreds, of rejections in the course of a year. As you can imagine, this can work an emotional and spiritual toll on many, leading to aggression, depression, isolation and a sense of unworthiness. In this season of graduations and transitions, the best possible preparation is management of one’s online environment, a strong spiritual life, and an unshakeable conviction that we are all loved by God.

Blessings, Fr. Bill Donahue