Today is the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is part of our faith that we become aware of very early in our lives. In many cases, it is the first thing we learn when we are taught to make the sign of the cross. In Baptism we are baptized “In the Name of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, thereby making us members of the Church but also incorporating us into the Trinity as well. We become members of the Body of Christ and so begin a relationship with God, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. This provides us with an identity and so we are taught to begin all our prayers by making the Sign of the Cross. This prayer and gesture remind us of who we are, where we came from, where we are going, and the relationship we have with the Trinity. It also reminds us that we are called to live this relationship in our daily lives through our choices, words, and actions.
We have always been told that the Trinity is a great mystery that we will never understand in this life. It is important for us to understand what is meant by “mystery” in our Catholic Faith. A mystery in our faith is not just something we don’t understand or have to think about. On the contrary, a mystery is something that we do need to think about often because every time we think about it, we can get a new insight or a deeper understanding of it. The mystery of the Trinity means that we can go back to it again and again and come away with a deeper understanding of the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and our relationship with this Most Holy Trinity.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a time for us to remember all who have sacrificed their lives in the service and protection of our freedom and our lives. Over the years many women and men have laid down their lives all over the world so that we in this great land of ours might live in peace and freedom. Please remember them in your prayers so that their sacrifice may always be appreciated and bear fruit. Mass will be at 9AM in the church; a very good way to begin the celebration of this very special day. It is always very good to pray for the dead. Remember that there are many people who have died who have no one to pray for them. There are many Christian churches that do not believe in praying for the dead so many have no one to pray for them. Since the very early Church, we have always prayed for the dead every time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated by the Church for the dead. May they all rest in peace.
It is graduation time again. Many young people are graduating from grade schools, high schools, and colleges. Our 8th Grade class here at Sacred Heart School will graduate on Wednesday evening at 7 PM with a Mass in the church. Congratulations and God’s blessing on all our graduates. We pray that these young people will always be very much aware of God’s love and presence in their lives and that they will continue to grow in their knowledge and love for God. Congratulations also to our graduates from Wadsworth High School, Highland High School, Archbishop Hoban High School, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and all those graduating from area high schools as well as colleges. May God bless you and may you continue to grow in your faith in God as well as your love for Him and others.
On June 1, at the 5PM Mass, Bishop Amos will be at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to about 70 candidates. Please keep them in your prayers. This is a very important time for these candidates as it is the beginning of their adult formation in the Catholic Faith. Thanks to Fr. Pat, Claire Corridoni, and several volunteers who have developed a very fine program for the candidates after Confirmation.
The Feast of Corpus Christi is on Sunday, June 2nd. We will again have an outdoor procession with the Blessed Sacrament after the 10:30AM Mass, weather permitting. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to gather and publicly express our devotion to and our belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Please plan to join us for this very special time of prayer.
You may recall that two weeks ago we held elections for the Parish Pastoral Council. Five of your fellow parishioners have been chosen to serve on the parish council. Congratulations and God’s blessings to: Steven Basinger, Marsh Fernbaugh, Dan Hricko, Alicia Pizon, and Dolores Schafer. They have been elected to a three-year term which will begin in August. I am very grateful to those who have completed their term of office for their three years of service to our parish community on the parish council: Kathy Calhoun, Sue Edurese, Tom Eaton, Roger Petrey, and Beth Marzano. May God bless you all for your willingness to serve God and His people.
