June 8, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

Pentecost is a feast that I’ve come to appreciate more and more each year. While I like all the feast days, Pentecost is now one of my favorites; one that I look forward to the most. Interiorly, I feel more excited by Pentecost than I do by Christmas. Not that I’m a grinch and don’t like Christmas, but, as a priest, Christmas can be overwhelmed by the season and the demands. I’m sure, parents, you feel something similar with Christmas. It’s joyful, but there’s also a bit of pressure and stress. Pentecost, on the other hand, doesn’t have the stress. And, yet, there is great anticipation to this feast day, like Advent, and great gifts that are to be received.

As we chug along through Lent, I find myself getting more and more excited for Easter. We’ve been fasting and praying, simplifying our life, and we look forward to seeing the risen Christ bless our church. Then, after a week or so of Easter, we kind of find ourselves chugging along through the Easter season, which lasts seven weeks. While we’re not fasting necessarily, there can be a sort of monotony or staleness that sets in with Easter. Towards the end of Easter we start getting excited again for Pentecost. Or, at least, I do.

It’s not just the change in the monotony that excites me. It’s the anticipation of receiving the Holy Spirit in a new way. We, of course, already and always have the Holy Spirit, but Pentecost is like throwing another log on the fire. I always desire to go deeper in my love for Jesus Christ. I want a greater faith and a greater spirit of generosity. I want to be more joyful and to love you all even more. The Holy Spirit can give me all that. And he gives it on Pentecost. These are the gifts (and fruits of the Holy Spirit) that I really desire in my life–not objects or money or food or whatever. I hope you desire them too. I hope you know that on Pentecost the Holy Spirit wants to come into your soul and give you a deeper faith, hope, and love.

You might reflect both on the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Saint Paul also has another list of gifts or charisms of the Holy Spirit: the gift of healing, working miracles, wisdom and knowledge, prophecy, administration, discernment of spirit, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues.

Spend some time with each of these three categories: the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and St. Paul’s charisms. Does any gift/fruit in particular stand out to you? For instance, do you feel like you are really struggling with patience? Or perhaps you have all these decisions to make and need discernment. You may know of people who are powerful intercessors and can literally heal people by praying over them, and you desire that for yourself for the sake of others.

Whatever the case may be, don’t be shy in asking the Holy Spirit to give you these gifts/fruits this Sunday. There used to be an Octave of Pentecost (8 days following Pentecost, like the Christmas Octave and Easter Octave)...feel free to ask for a gift/fruit each day this week. It’s okay to be spiritually greedy for the glory of God and his Church.

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As I mentioned last week, I will be departing tomorrow, Monday, June 9th for my annual silent retreat. As I’ve done in the past, I will leave prayer books in the church at the Mary altar and in the back of the church in the vestibule for you to write your intentions for me to pray for while I am away. You can be as simple or detailed, anonymous or personal, as you want in what you write. It’s a true privilege to read your intentions and offer myself and my time of prayer for you.

This Saturday, June 7th is another Discern and Decide prayer workshop. All are invited to attend in the Holy Family Chapel. A special thanks to Jim and Jerry for putting this together.

This Wednesday, June 11th we are proud to be launching our new ministry–Serving Our Seniors (SOS). The event will begin at 6pm in the Kinane Center. SOS will look to assist our seniors by giving them companionship and connection, providing guidance on issues like transportation, insurance, food delivery, and offering spiritual care through special Masses, prayers, gatherings, and more. A special thank you to Leni Duffy, our Director of Social Services Ministry, for creating this ministry.

The Men’s Club Bags Tournament will be held this Friday, June 13th in the parking lot. This is always a fun event with great food and drink, and we hope to see you there.

Once again, congratulations to Father Lee Noel who was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming on May 28th (see the picture above). We are very proud of Father Lee and hope to see him at SPC one day in the not too distant future.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace