With joy and gratitude, we welcome the newly elected Pope.
Pope Leo XIV, the 267th successor of Saint Peter.
Let us pray for Pope Leo XIV
11 May 2025
Holy Spirit I: What does the Holy Spirit do?
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. - Jn 10:28
When God desires to do something he does it - “Let there be light” and there was light” (Gn 1:3). And because He is eternal, once He does something once he sticks to it for all time. This is the case with how God the Father makes Christ present in the world. St. Louis de Montford, was a big proponent of this truth, that by the Holy Spirit and the cooperation of the Blessed Mother Jesus was conceived and brought into the world. Now it remains the role of the Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit to bring forth Christ’s presence in each of our lives. Which is why St. Louis advocated for devotion to the Blessed Mother and why we turn to the Holy Spirit - to make Christ present in each of us.
The Holy Spirit is the one who we call upon every time a sacrament is performed, think of the Eucharist. Before the priest utters the words of consecration, he first puts his hands over the gifts and calls down the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can’t help doing this, it's what the Spirit does! Make Christ present in the world. Most important for us, the church, is how the Spirit works in each of our lives. In our mass readings throughout this easter season, we see how the Holy Spirit is at work in the early church. The Spirit guides the Apostles, giving them the grace to perform miracles, turning these uncertain and uneducated men into bold evangelists proclaiming Christ to all. We see how the Spirit transforms them to become more and more like Jesus and works through them to make the works of Jesus present to others.
The Holy Spirit seeks to do the same thing in our lives too. We have already begun this journey by our baptism. Through Baptism, Christ was born in our hearts and we became beloved children of God the Father. After this by our choices we have grown to be more or less like Him depending on how we responded to His grace and influence. The Sacrament of Confirmation is given to us to strengthen us in this endeavor. Throughout our whole lives the Spirit is at work to help us grow to the full stature of Christ (Eph 4:13), transforming us (2 Cor 3:18), renewing our minds (Rom 12:2), enabling us to become like Him (1 Jn 3:2).
It is also Good Shepherd Sunday. We hear in the readings this Sunday the words of Christ who declares himself to be the good shepherd who knows his sheep and they follow Him. Today let us take care to listen to His voice as He leads us day by day out of our darkness and into his marvelous light.
And how can we speak about being formed without mentioning something of our own mothers who have been involved in our formation since the womb! On Mother’s Day we thank God for the tenderness, compassion and care our mothers have shown us. Our hearts are full of gratitude for the irreplaceable gift of a mother’s love. To all the women we celebrate today, your tireless devotion to your children is a testament to God’s love. God bless all the mothers in our parish!
Happy Mother’s Day!
-Fr. Mike Tabernero
Sacred Music Concert
Saturday, May 17
at 2:00 PM
All are warmly invited to a free sacred music concert in the church on
Saturday, May 17 at 2:00 PM. The event will feature a concert reading of
The Mysteries—a developing musical about the mysteries of the rosary,
written by our own Claire McCarthy.
A concert reading presents the full music and dialogue in sequence,
without staging or costumes.
Come and enjoy this beautiful opportunity to enter more deeply into the Marian month of May through music and prayer.
