We celebrate several things this weekend. First of all, Saturday, July 25, is the feast of St James the Greater, the patron of the Camino of Santiago pilgrimage in Spain, which I have hiked five different times. It is one of the main pilgrimages in our Catholic faith, having started more than 1,000 years ago. There are many lessons learned on the pilgrimage of St James, and many wonderful quotes about it. One pilgrimage remarked: “Don’t come to the Camino looking for answers. Instead, come with an open heart and you may be surprised by what you find.” Another pilgrim stated: “I could not think of a better living expression of peace than going on pilgrimage.” I first went on the Camino of St James in 2003, a year before I entered seminary. It will always be a big part of me. And I will always identify as a pilgrim.
This weekend we also start our Masses celebrating First Communion and Confirmation with our children, our youth, and their families. It is always a great joy for me to celebrate these sacraments as a pastor with the faithful. These Masses have been delayed several months because of the pandemic, but the joy we will feel in our hearts during these celebrations will not diminished. We send out of prayers and blessings to our children, our youth, and their families.
Finally, we say goodbye to Denis and Margaret Riordan and their family as they move to Florida. It has been a joy having them in our parish. We wish them well, but we will very much miss them. From Margaret’s contributions to our music program, to Tommy and Jack serving at Mass, to the joyful presence in our parish of their other children and the entire family, we are very thankful for the presence they have had in our parish. It has been a blessing having them here in our St Jude family.
Blessings to all of you. Have a blessed week.
No comments:
Post a Comment