Sixth Sunday of Easter

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, welcome to the month of May! A very exciting
month indeed. May is the month of Our Lady, a special time of
prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. We join Mary in rejoicing in
Christ’s Resurrection from the dead. During this month pray the
Rosary, visit the outdoor shrine or reflect on the joys of Mary: the
Annunciation, the birth of Jesus Christ, the Adoration of the Magi,
the Resurrection, the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, the descent of
the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and Mary’s Coronation as Queen of
Heaven. Mary, mother of the Church, pray for us!

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2013 First Holy Communion class;
to IAN SWARTZ and AUSTIN STINEBISER who will receive
their Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) emblem of the Boy Scouts
from Bishop Brandt Sunday afternoon at the Bishop Connare Center.
God Bless you all! And Happy Easter Sunday to our Orthodox
brothers and sisters, especially our friends at Holy Ascension Serbian
Orthodox here in Youngwood.

As we prepare for the great feast of Pentecost, the Birthday of the
Church, we are invited to spend the days from the Ascension of
Our Lord (Thursday May 9) until Pentecost (May 19) in special
prayer. Here is a prayer for you to pray: Love is the guarantee
that the Life of the Spirit is growing in us. Love is the sign of
the Holy Spirit at work in the Church and in the world: Come
Holy Spirit come, renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Friday is the Memorial of Saint Damien Joseph de Veuster. Born in
Belgium, at age 19 he entered the Congregation of the Fathers of
the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Sent to the Hawaiian Islands
(1863), he was ordained (1864) and served as a parish priest for 9
years. Then he volunteered as chaplain for the leper colony on the
remote island of Moloka’i (1873). He spent the rest of his life
working to restore the self-worth and dignity of the lepers and improving
their living conditions. He eventually contracted leprosy
and died at Moloka’i. Beatified in 1992 and canonized in 2009, he
is also honored by the state of Hawaii with a statue in the rotunda
of the United States Capitol. May we imitate his example to “make
myself a leper with the lepers, to gain all to Jesus Christ.”
This week’s psalm response, O God, let all the nations praise
you! Reminds us to invite others to join in our prayer.

LET’S GO PENS!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….