Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: June 02, 2019
This weekend is an “in-between” one! I say this because of the priestly ordinations here last week of Fathers Tim Grimes and John Vu, and the deacon ordinations here next Saturday, June 8, of seminarians Mathew Dunn and Danny Roussel. Adding to the “busy-ness” of last Sunday was Father Grimes’ “First Mass” here, while next Sunday, June 9, the Solemnity of Pentecost we will host Bishop Duca’s final confirmation ceremony of the Easter season at the massive celebration of that sacrament for our young people and adults from throughout the diocese. The various receptions and both “setup and cleanup” for all of these events take up a lot of our energy, but I also hope we manage to give energy to those who come here for these special celebrations!
(But before I move on, let me offer congratulations to all of the recipients of the sacraments of holy orders and confirmation! And profound thanks to all whose hard work makes it all happen, especially Mrs. Lorie Weeks, Mrs. Carla Kennedy, and Mr. David Summers of our Cathedral Parish; Fr. Tom Ranzino and Mrs. Jarja Carville of the diocesan Office of Worship; and Mrs. Marsha Gautreau from the bishop’s office. Year after year they go “over and above” in providing support to our liturgical ministries here, and we don’t publicize our appreciation enough!)
This weekend, then, is less busy and so seems more, well, “comfy.” Our Knights of Columbus of Council No. 13632 picked a great weekend to offer us their BBQ chicken dinners – let’s face it, it’s “comfort food”!! Have you gotten your tickets yet? They’re just $10 for a great meal!
As I write this we still haven’t hired a roofer to replace the flat and hipped roofs on the Parish Office and rectory buildings. The “old” roofs lasted almost 52 years. While it’s not likely we’ll get another 5 decades of use out of the new roofs to be installed, everyone still wants to make sure we’ll get the best job possible.
Also, as I write this, we’ve not yet hired a new janitor, although I hope to do so soon. Keeping things like bathrooms, floors and sidewalks clean is crucial; so is taking care of growing things like lawns and weeds, knowing which ones to nurture and keep trimmed, and which ones to kill!
Finally, I guess I should say a word about this weekend’s feast. Like the rest of most all of North America, we observe the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord. It also seems a bit of an “in-between” Sunday: Easter is fading into the past while Pentecost is not ‘til next week! Yet it would be a big mistake to think that Jesus’ return to His place in heaven was “the end” of His story. The Lord’s brief time on earth was not an isolated, “concentrated” as it were, human experience of divinity among us. If that’s all it was, then His Ascension would sort of be like a final episode of a media event, like the recent “Game of Thrones” finale, loved by a few but mostly experienced as unsatisfyingly incomplete by others.
No, the story of Jesus Christ goes on. As He Himself said in the weekend’s First Reading, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you … you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). God really does continue to exist and work in the world through us. The finale of the Christian story won’t be complete until the Last Judgment. So again, stay tuned! There’s a lot still going on!
Yours in the Risen Lord,
Very Rev Paul D. Counce
