A Flood of Grace

This past weekend we celebrated beautiful First Communion and Confirmation Masses. The church was packed, the sacrament recipients were excited and prayerful, their families overjoyed. Years of formation and preparation culminated in a deepening of the life of grace which unites and conforms us to our Lord. This Sunday, our Hispanic community will celebrate First Communion, bringing the total number of first communicants to 96, our largest class ever. Seventy nine teens and adults were confirmed, making it one of our larger Confirmation classes.

The Easter Season ends with the celebration of Pentecost this weekend. For the first time, we will use the extended vigil readings at the Saturday, 5:30pm Mass. While we return to ordinary time on Monday, the following Sundays celebrate special feasts. Sunday, June 4th, is the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. Our Holy Trinity prayer group will be hosting a reception (open to all) after the 4:30pm Mass that day. June 11 is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. The 4:30pm Mass that day will include a Eucharistic procession in the parking lot.

May 31st is the Feast of the Visitation. The 5:30pm Mass will be celebrated in what we call Benedict XVI style, with Gregorian chant and other traditional elements. We started these after parish study sessions on the late Pope’s book, The Spirit of the Liturgy. We celebrate these about once per month, and I hope at some point every parishioner has an opportunity to participate in one of these BXVI Masses.

God has blessed us abundantly in the gift of the Sacraments. May our manner of life reflect what we receive and celebrate.