Bulletin for May 12

Dear friends in Christ,

On this 4th Sunday of Easter we wish a blessed and happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers. Moms hold a special place in our hearts and we need only look at the example of Jesus to know that love and respect for mothers is an age-old tradition in our faith. From the wedding feast at Cana to the hill at Calvary, Mary was always present in the life of her son. In a special way we ask for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on all mothers, both living and deceased. And let us not forget the wonderful gift of life that grandmothers, adopted mothers, step-mothers, foster mothers and godmothers offer their children. May God bless them all! If you are at Mass on Sunday morning, there is a special mom’s breakfast waiting for you in the Parish Hall. Please join us.

There are 118 mothers at CtR this weekend who are doubly-blessed with not only Mother’s Day but also their child’s First Holy Communion. We celebrated a Mass on Saturday to welcome the children to the table of the Lord for the first time. It was great to see the girls in their beautiful white dresses and the boys in their sharp dark suits. They were all very excited to receive communion for the first time. Congratulations to each and every one of them.

That joy that the First Communion kids had should serve as a reminder to us all that we too need to develop such a desire to meet Jesus in communion. Too often – way too often – I see people coming forward in the communion line with anything but joy on their faces. If you didn’t know better you would think they were receiving a death sentence instead of a “life” sentence! When we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion we are receiving a foretaste of heaven. Let us resolve to come forward with joy to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Congratulations to all who received First Communion on Saturday and thank you for being such an example to us all on how to have a great desire for the Lord in the Eucharist.

My extra special thanks goes to Kathy Kelley, Katie Griep, and all of our R.E. staff who worked to prepare these children. With so many children receiving First Communion three times during the course of the year, our R.E. staff – and our dedicated teachers and catechists – do a great job of ministering to the families and children of the parish. We are blessed to have wonderful teachers, but as always, the best teachers of the children of the way of the faith are the parents. We can only help guide the children; the families must be the first teachers of the children.

One of the chief ways parents teach is by example. You don’t have to be able to give a lecture to your child on the theological significance of the Body and Blood of Christ (though that might be appropriate at some point). But you do have to bring your child to Mass. There is no greater way to instill in the child a deep longing and respect for Holy Communion than to actually make it a point to be at Mass every Sunday. When we make Mass optional, or if something else (sports, shopping, going to the movies, sleeping in late) takes priority over Mass, then it is no wonder that a child’s love for Eucharist will begin to wane.

The absence of so many children (and parents) from Mass has been a frequent topic among my brother priests lately. We all notice it in our respective parishes, particularly in the spring and summer. It’s especially distressing when I later see posts on social media of those same children and parents at the beach, the ball fields, the competition camps, etc. You all take wonderful photos and I’m happy to see everyone having a good time, but the failure to give God an hour of our time on Sunday (or Saturday) is just sad – and sinful. How is it we can sit and watch the “The Avengers: Endgame” for three hours (multiple times!), but not find 60 minutes to make room for the Lord?

If Sunday becomes just another day to squeeze in one more activity, then we’ve lost sight of what the Lord’s Day means. If there is no great longing or desire in the heart of mom and dad to attend Mass, how can a child be expected to have that longing? Whether you have a 2nd grader making First Communion this weekend, or a high school student who made confirmation this past week – or anyone of any age living under your roof! – lead them by your own example and make Mass and Holy Communion your family’s chief Sunday “event.” I guarantee it will make a difference in the life of your child and your own life as well.

Looking ahead to a couple events next Sunday, May 19 I call your attention to the New Parishioner Welcome Breakfast following the 9 and 11 a.m. Masses. We’re in the process of expanding this ministry, and I’m grateful to our Welcoming Committee for organizing this opportunity for new members to learn a bit more about the parish. In the past, we’ve done these sporadically, sometimes in the afternoon or occasionally on a Saturday evening. But our aim now is to get more of the parish involved. It’s easy to feel lost or un-rooted when you first join CtR – it’s a big place with a lot of people. We want to make this New Parishioner Welcome Sunday a regular occurrence (likely around eight times a year) and hold it after both of our two most well-attended Masses at 9 and 11 a.m. I invite everyone to join us in the Parish Hall so that the community can say hello and be present to be the face of Christ to our new members. We’ll have a special orientation for the new folks, but let’s have a good turnout and show them Christian hospitality and help them get acclimated to the parish. More soon, but plan to join us next week!

Also next Sunday, May 19, at the 5 p.m. Mass we will honor our graduating high school seniors. We congratulate them on this milestone and we wish them God’s blessings as they move to their next phases of their life’s journey. There is a nice banquet planned for the seniors and their families immediately following the Mass, but you must register by tomorrow, Monday, May 13, so that we might have time to prepare. Any senior who has not yet let us know they are attending, please do so ASAP by contacting Rachel Smyth in the Youth office or via the dedicated CtR Youth website, www.ctryouth.com. Don’t delay!

Peace, Fr. Sean