Pastor’s Corner — May 8th, 2022
Congratulations to the First Communicants!
After this weekend eighty-eight children will have received their First Communion at our parish. Every year when this happens, we adults are reminded of the tremendous gift of the Eucharist that only those with the eyes of faith can see. How blessed we are to receive with love the gift of Jesus in Holy Communion, a gift that when we open our hearts to receive it, can change our lives for the better. Congratulations to our children! May we ever become more like children in believing that he comes to us in such a humble way to give us the transformative graces of his love.
Parish Pentecost Prayer Service: June 4th at 7:30pm
During this special evening of prayer for parishioners, I will be preaching about the gift of the Holy Spirit and we’ll be praying for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit for those who want more of what Jesus promised. (This is NOT an Encounter Ministries event) This event is particularly geared toward those who may not have much or any familiarity with the grace of baptism in the Spirit and are eager for more of God’s love in their life. Along with music, we’ll even have testimonies of parishioners who will share their own experience of God’s love in the Holy Spirit. Please save the date and put on your calendar. Plan on bringing your friends whom you want to know the love of God. God is at work here and he’s going to do great things on June 4th.
Welcome Fr. Graham Keep!
This week we welcomed Fr. Graham Keep, a priest of the Diocese of London, Ontario at the rectory here at St Pat’s. A priest since 1993, Fr. Graham is the pastor of The Elgin Roman Catholic Family of Parishes (4 parishes, 5 churches) in Ontario. Fr. Keep is a retired reserve military chaplain having served as Brigade Chaplain. He completed his Licentiate Degree through Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit with the focus in the New Evangelization. He’s a close friend of Renewal Ministries and has traveled the world speaking at conferences, retreats, and missions. Presently he is on a 3-month sabbatical, which involves three elements: prayer, rest and study. He is in the midst of developing the Intentional Discipleship Formation Training, a parish based lay leadership formation tool.
He will be staying here at St. Patrick’s for the month of May. He will then move to Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor, after which he will fly to Cameroon to help conduct two weeks of priest retreats. I’ve known Fr. Graham since I was in seminary when he was getting the degree at Sacred Heart. He’s a holy, gifted and fun priest to have around. You might see him covering for Masses and confessions now and again. If you see him, please welcome him. . . and thank him for cooking for me and Fr. Miguel! He’s an incredible cook!
Eucharistic Preacher for the Revival
You may have seen online that I’ve been selected by the United States Bishops as one of sixty Eucharistic Preachers, who will travel the country (not much more than 3x/year) to preach the three year Eucharistic Revival leading up to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024. (During this time I will virtually stop my travel for Encounter.) Below is from the Revival website:
“The Bishops of the United States are calling for a three-year grassroots revival of devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. They believe that God wants to see a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and sent out in mission “for the life of the world.”
These three years will culminate in the first National Eucharistic Congress in the United States in almost fifty years. Almost a hundred thousand Catholics will join together in Indianapolis for a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage toward the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith.”
SCOTUS Case Leak: Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health
Regarding the latest leak of the draft of the US Supreme Court majority decision striking down Roe v Wade, I’m cautiously optimistic about the fact that this decision will be official in June. Please pray for the safety of the justices, their perseverance in upholding the substance of this preliminary majority opinion, and for the conversion of all people who are pro-choice. Let’s also thank God ahead of time!
Away on Retreat Next Week: May 9 - May 13
I'll be on my (much needed) annual retreat this next week. Please say a little prayer for me so I can be as receptive as possible to Jesus' transformative love. Thank you!
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias