Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Happy Father’s Day, and congratulations to all of our recent graduates!

Fatherhood is a vocation. It is God who calls men to share in His Fatherhood. In my spiritual and sacramental experience of fatherhood, my examples often start from natural fatherhood, most especially that modeled by my dad.

Church law says that the pastor “is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care…. sharing in their cares, anxieties and sorrows, comforting them in the Lord.” These words reflect the Church’s vision of the pastor as the spiritual father of the parish family. What beautiful words for all fathers. Fathers are called to know their children, to help their gifts to blossom, and to share burdens and joys. Fathers are stewards of their children, because each child belongs to God. This is an awesome responsibility, and yet God will always give us the grace to exercise the offices given to us.

I often see young couples expressing some of the same awe at the prospect of having a family. They may say, “wow, we are not yet ready. We want to get to know each other better.” Or sometimes they express fears about being able to provide. We all fear our inadequacy, (or at least we should if we have any humility). Yet in Christ, all things are possible. Our fears can melt away in the loving embrace of our Lord. Dads, thanks for sharing in our cares, anxieties, and sorrows, comforting us in the Lord! May you continue to help us to know the Father’s love.

Thank you Dad, for all your love and great examples of generous sacrifice.

Graduates, always know who you are. Remain rooted in the family that the Lord chose for you, and the faith that He entrusted to you. Your Fathers are proud of you!

pax,

Father John Mosimann

This past week you may have seen a deacon at Mass. Some Masses he served as a deacon, and others he came out to help distribute Holy Communion. Deacon Tim Banach is a transitional deacon, who is finishing his last year of studies at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. This is the same seminary I graduated from, and it is great to have another man from St. Charles in the house!

As an aside, the ‘transitional’ adjective in front of ‘deacon’ is the Church’s way of identifying that he is in formation to be ordained a priest. This is in contrast to ‘permanent’ deacons who are not on a path to priesthood.

There are three promises made by the transitional deacon during his ordination Mass: to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, Obedience and Celibacy.

1. To pray the Liturgy of the Hours for the people of God. Prayer is at the heart of a life of service. This prayer, consists of psalms, petitions, and reading from both Scripture and Church fathers. Through this prayer, the clergy of the Church are praying at every hour of the day for the Church.
2. Obedience. To be ordained is to be configured to Jesus Christ. Thus, in obedience, the clergy live and make present the self-emptying love of Our Lord. It is through generously living this, that the bishop is able to care for the souls entrusted to him. How can a preist know he is doing God’s will? When he obeys the directives of the bishop, and serves in harmony with him.
3. Celibacy. This is what most gets people’s attention. Living celibacy generously is a great witness to the Kingdom of God! Here is a snippet of the ordination rite as pertains to celibacy:

   By your own free choice, you seek to enter the order of deacons…. By living in this state with total dedication…you will adhere more easily to Christ with an undivided heart; you will be more freely at the service of God and mankind, and you will be more untrammeled in the ministry of Christian conversion and rebirth. By your life and character you will give witness to your brothers and sisters in faith that God must be loved above all else, and that it is He whom you serve in others.

Deacon Tim will be with us for about 9 weeks this summer, and will also be back for Christmas and Holy Week! This adds a new joy to our parish taking part in the formation of future priests. Thank you for the warm welcome that I know you will extend to him.

pax,

Father John Mosimann