Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks,

Please be sure to check out the pictures from our first Eucharistic procession for the students and staff at Holy Cross Academy! Father Joseph and I were able to bring Jesus to visit and bless every classroom and office in the school, including the new middle school wing. Each classroom was allowed 5 minutes for a song, prayer, silence and blessing!

When we knocked on one classroom door the teacher cried tears of joy and exclaimed, “I literally just said, ‘I need Jesus’ and He knocks on my door!” There were smiles and reverence all around! It took 3 hours, and we had probably 20 servers help in stages over the morning!

Let this also serve as an invitation to this Thursday’s Corpus Christi procession from the parish church to Mary Wash Catholic Campus ministry and back. We will walk on sidewalks and avoid crossing major streets, in case anyone is anxious about safety, and yes, we will have water waiting.It is a beautiful witness to of faith, and will be followed by a light reception with food when we return to the parish!

Also, please keep Soon-to-be-Father Lee in your prayers this week. Next Saturday he will be ordained to the Holy priesthood in a group of seven men!

This is always a feast of great joy—even more so this year with the ordination of seven men! If you are thinking of going, the Mass is open to the public, but a couple of points of advice:

• With 7 men being ordained, this Mass is likely to be very full (which we understand here)!

• Be ready to struggle with parking and seating—and that’s aer you brave the summer crowds on I-95 North! Last year your priests arrived 30 minutes early and were the first car turned away from the parking lot! (Hence, why we have to change the Mass time and cancel Confessions this Saturday morning).

• Be ready for Mass to begin earlier than the posted 11:00 am. Bishop Burbidge likes to reverence the altar on time, which means the procession will start 15 to 20 minutes before the scheduled start of Mass. Sometimes that means Mass starts early!

• Be ready to be inspired by the beautiful celebration of the gi of the priesthood! But of course, keep the priests in your prayers, even if you don’t brave the crowds!

Schedule NOTE: Because of the ordination next Saturday, there will be NO Confessions and the morning Mass will be at 8am!!

pax,

Father John Mosimann

On Saturday June 6, Deacon Stan Lee, who will be assigned to St Mary, is going to be ordained a priest by Bishop Burbidge at the Cathedral of St Thomas Moore in Arlington.  So the priests of St Mary can be there to participate in his priestly ordination, the 8am confessions on June 6 are canceled, and the 9am Mass is moved to 8am.

Dear Folks,

Confirmation was a great 24 hours! I was so amazed at the energy and stamina of Archbishop Broglio, for the Archdiocese for Military Services! But should I be surprised by the endless stamina of a military man? Nope! And consider that a small preview of gratitude for the men and women who serve in uniform, as Monday is Memorial Day!

Have a Blessed feast of Pentecost!

The feast of Pentecost is one that should give us great hope and enthusiasm for living the faith in the face of difficulty. One of the titles for the Holy Spirit is the Consoler. What an inspiration to know that God has this nickname which describes He Himself granting us His consolation! This is why it is a work of mercy to console the grieving. Once you walk through the experience of bidding farewell to loved ones, you quickly learn how important are the small words of kindness, encouragement, and consolation. Let us allow our hearts to be formed such that the consolation we receive from Jesus, we can extend to others.

Finally, summer: let me repeat an exhortation that I often give at the beginning of summer regarding vacations, Mass attendance, and dressing properly for Mass. Summer brings vacation, and that means relaxation for most folks. One of the great benefits of summer is that life slows down significantly for us. I still exhort you to make Sunday Mass the cornerstone of your week. If you need to find a Catholic Church near to your vacation in Toledo, Timbuktu, or even Toronto …. then check out: MassTimes.org

Summer also brings different wardrobes. I remember as a child that it meant that we would break out the white pants that would be my “Sunday Clothes” for the summer. Remember those: Sunday Clothes? We each would do well to just pause and examine our consciences about how we dress for Jesus during the summer. The most common argument is that, “Jesus doesn’t care what I wear!” or “God doesn’t need me to dress up!” We are right to say that God doesn’t need me to dress up…. I need me to dress up! However Jesus does care what we wear, but not because He is judging us based on our clothes. He cares what we wear because how we dress is part of our preparation for and participation in Mass! When we take the time and effort to give Jesus our best (clothes, time, attention, and love) He can pour out His blessing into our souls! The concept of “Sunday Clothes” is that I give Jesus my best, because that is what God deserves, the best of me.

I recall with great fondness how I would untuck my shirt every Sunday, the very second that I walked out of the Church Door! Let me also be clear to say that nobody is to be turned away or judged because they are wearing shorts and flip-flops. There are times when we are literally coming from the beach, or on our way to a soccer match, or even sometimes folks can be simply struggling to feel welcome at Mass. I recall a conversation in another parish with a teen who was inappropriately dressed for Mass, where they were actually hoping that I would chastise them so that they could have an excuse not to come back! I know you pray for wisdom as parents, let us also pray for wisdom as a parish family to be gentle with our struggling.

pax,

Father John Mosimann