Pastor’s Corner — March 16th, 2025
Our Patronal Feast Day: The Solemnity of St Patrick!
This Monday, March 17th is our Patronal Feast Day! On Saturday we will have celebrated the feast as a parish with our St Pat’s Celebration, but on Monday is the actual feast, which according to the Liturgy is elevated to the highest level of Christian celebration: a Solemnity. Therefore, for parishioners of St Pat’s, it’s not really appropriate for us to be doing much penance on this day. In fact, for parishioners, I encourage you to relax one or more penances on this day in a spirit of celebration of St Patrick. Of course, this is not an invitation to merely reduce St Patrick’s Day to the stereotypical worldly celebrations of beer and Irish food. But it does entail being sincerely grateful to God for the life of St Patrick, his intercession, and the model he is for us.
On Monday, we will celebrate his Feast with our usual 8:30am Mass and (St Pat’s school will have a special Mass on Monday at the school). I encourage everyone to pray the full version of the Lorica of St Patrick’s. And of course, watching this funny video has become a kind of annual tradition on St. Patrick’s Day for some :)
Lenten Mission with Pete Burak (April 1, 2, 3)
As we’ve announced we are hosting a special Parish Grouping Lenten Mission for April 1, 2, 3 in the Church at 7pm. All of the parishes in our grouping (Old St Pat’s, Holy Spirit, and St Mary Pinckney and our parish) are sponsoring and promoting this event.
This Lenten Mission is a “Rest Stop” on our Discipleship Pathway. Remember, along the path of discipleship, parishioners need to rest and refuel. “Rest stops” offer key formation opportunities that foster spiritual and intellectual maturity in the Christian life.
The theme of the Mission is “What Must I Do To be Saved?” This is the question that the jailor asked Paul and Silas as the earthquake released them from their chains. Here is a brief description of the mission:
There are few questions more important than what is necessary for salvation. Throughout human history, mankind has wrestled with the reality of death and what comes next. God has consistently revealed the truth about who we are, what we’re made for, and what matters most to him, and yet too often we listen to the world instead There are two competing narratives influencing our beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors: the story of God vs. the story of the world. Very often we try to live with one foot in the Kingdom and God and one foot in a different kingdom. This mission will tackle these realities with Scriptural clarity, practical insights, and inspiring and hope-filled examples of how we can receive God’s word and be transformed by it! Each evening will include a heavy emphasis on Scripture, relatable takeaways, and an invitation for a Spirit-filled response.
Think of this mission as a training in how to think about the salvation of those who no longer practice the faith and how to live more fully in what Jesus won for us, to attract them to come to Jesus. The mission will cover these questions:
• What does Jesus actually teach about the conditions of salvation?
• In a world full of confusion, how do disciples hear the still small voice of the Spirit and respond with courage and hope?
• What practical things can we do to draw closer to God, to live more in the power of the Holy Spirit, and both embody and proclaim the good news of the Gospel
• What does it look like to live as an intentional disciple in and through the Church?
I hope to see you there!
Now Hiring for New Role: Associate Coordinator of Youth Discipleship!
At St Pat’s we are deeply committed to making Spirit-filled missionary disciples of all ages. Passing on the faith to the next generation requires intentionality and sustained moral effort in today’s culture. For the past three years, our parish has been blessed by the presence and ministry of the NET team (National Evangelization Team). But NET only serves parishes for a maximum of three years and this is their last year.
During NET’s time here, they were involved in so many aspects of our youth ministry: 1) they launched the Ignite ministry to our 5th and 6th grade students, 2) they helped with our Young Church programming, and 3) discipled youth at our parish and at our school and 4) were present to host families and witnessed to their children the life of faith. We are so grateful for their dedication and zeal throughout these past three years. But we do not want the seeds that they have planted to go uncultivated and untended.
Therefore, to help continue the beautiful and fruitful ministries that they started, we have created a new, full-time ministry position of Associate Coordinator of Youth Discipleship. As of today, this position is now posted on the Diocesan Job Listings page. If you or someone you know might be interested in this position, please direct them to this link to apply.
The Diocesan Services Appeal
Thank you to all those parishioners who already have given to support the Diocesan Services Appeal. So far we’re off to a great start (according to the last update, we have 237 gifts from our parish so far). As a reminder, the annual Diocesan Services Appeal supports many vital ministries across our Diocese, including, but not limited to, support for the education of our seminarians and caring for the poor. My vision is that every family in our parish will choose to participate in this appeal as you are able, even if it is only $1.00. If you are interested in more information on the DSA and what it covers, please see the DSA Website for information.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias