From the Pastor
May/17/2009
Though it was “far beyond our control,” I offer a thousand apologies for the inconvenience of last weekendinto-
this-week, when you couldn’t get a phone call into the parish office as well as the school. Our system was
all down, and you thought that the phones were just “ringing off the hook” without any voice, human or mechanical,
to answer them. We’re about 95% up to speed, and we hope that all will soon be rectified. In the
meantime, our parish manager, John Krolikow-ski (most recently physically disabled due to an accident) and
our parish maintenance head, Jay Flood (who buried his Dad this Saturday), were trying their best to restore
things to as normal as possible (we’ll forgive them in Confession for all the anger expressed to the communications
personnel). We hope that we’ll not have to see this type of problem for a long, long time to come.
We’re sorry if any emergency phone calls did not reach their intended destination to a priest on campus (What
did they ever do in emergencies before the advent of the telephone?!).
Bishop Barbarito, in concert with the entire United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is
asking all the faithful to oppose the proposed federally funded research that will require destroying live human
embryos for use in embryonic stem cell research. Following President Obama’s March 9 executive order to
this effect, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed guidelines to implement this research. The draft
guidelines are now open for public comment through May 26th. Letters of opposition may be sent to members
of Congress and to the NIH. More information and a simple procedure for making your feelings known to both
groups can be found on the website for the USCCB’s campaign “Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research”:
www.usccb.org/stemcellcampaign. Once you’re on the website, click on “Contact Congress & NIH NOW.
Let’s join forces to call for the proper type of stem cell research and cures that “we can all live with.”
Thank you for your support of our school by purchasing a ticket for this Saturday’s hilarious musical comedy,
“NUNSENSE.” I thank the members of our parish church and school staff and our parents and students
who helped make this show possible. I’m sorry if you didn’t get to see it, for it was a great opportunity to have
some fun while rendering two worthwhile organizations an assist from the profits derived from the sale of the
tickets.
We also had our Spring Music Concert, performed by our parish school students this past Friday, under
the direction of Mr. Pablo Falcon. There was a lot of effort put into this program by our teacher and students,
and the talents of many are beginning to show signs of great promise here at our school. May the support of
our parents and parish-family-at-large encourage the many young members of our school community to open
their minds and talents to the greater challenges and wonders that lie ahead in their lives.
Next Sunday, we will observe the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord throughout our part of the
country (not necessarily in the dioceses of the northeast and some Midwestern states).
So, this Thursday is not a Holy Day of Obligation in our state (or diocese), as that celebration has been transferred
to the following Sunday.
I
t’s that special time of the year when we celebrate the wonderful happenings in the lives of people dear to
us: Mother’s Day, Graduations, First Holy Communions, Weddings and priestly and all other sorts of Anniversaries.
Let’s also remember the wonderful people who have bravely served our country and have gone to their
reward as we come to observe another Memorial Day on May 25th. They have honored us and made our nation
a true “land of the free and home of the brave.” May we always take time to honor their memory by the
way we live in and respect this wonderful country of ours. May we also whisper a prayer to God on their behalf
in the hope of sharing in the glory of the Resurrection!
Very Rev. Canon Tom