Fr. Tom's Blog

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Since this event in Scripture connects closely with Christ’s Resurrection and the Feast of Pentecost, many dioceses now celebrate the Ascension on a Sunday so that more people can take part. The Ascension reminds us that after Jesus appeared to the disciples following his Resurrection, he then was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. Before Jesus ascends, he tells his disciples: Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. He tells them that signs will accompany the good works they do in his name. These signs remind them that they have protection against evil and harm, as long as they trust in Christ’s presence. While Jesus will no longer be with his disciples in a bodily way, he is still with them as they witness to his love and truth in the world and become his presence for others. We are called to do the same.
 
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mothers in our community. Our mothers bless us with the gift of life and are called to be a reminder for us of God’s love. We are grateful for the sacrifices our mothers make and the many ways they teach us about love and faith. While we celebrate our mothers in a special way this weekend, let us give thanks for them every day through our love and prayers. Below is a Mother’s Day blessing:
Good and Gentle God, we pray in gratitude for our mothers, for all the women who have joined with you in the wonder of bringing forth new life, and for all those women who have loved and shaped us through their motherly care and compassion. Grant to all mothers the courage they need to face the uncertain future that life with children always brings.
Give them the strength to live and to be loved in return, not perfectly, but humanly.
Give them the faithful support of family and friends as they care for the physical and spiritual growth of their children. Give them joy and delight in their children to sustain them through the trials of motherhood. Most of all, give them the wisdom to turn to you for help when they need it most.
Amen.
 
Congratulations to all the graduates in our community. Many schools will be holding graduations in the coming weeks. The 8^th graders from Presentation graduate this Thursday, May 17 and our pre-K children graduate this Wednesday, May 16. We are proud of all their accomplishments. Please keep all our graduates in your prayers.  
 
Next weekend we will bring the Easter season to a close with the Feast of Pentecost. This feast reminds us of the powerful gift of the Holy Spirit shared with each of us. The liturgical color for this feast is red. We invite you to WEAR RED clothing to Mass next weekend.
Many Blessings!
 

Jesus continues to share with us in today’s Gospel how we are to remain in his love. This is a continuation of last Sunday’s Gospel about the vine and branches. Jesus says: If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love. And then he gets very specific when he says: This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. To love as Jesus loves is the most important commandment and leads to complete joy. Jesus reminds us how deep his love goes when he says: No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. We remain in the friendship of Jesus as we love one another. Jesus gave his life for us and he calls us to live this same sacrificial love in our lives. How can we follow this commandment of love more fully? In what ways would our relationships, marriages, families, and communities be stronger if we imitated Jesus’ way of love?
 
Pope Francis recently released an apostolic exhortation titled Gaudete et Exsultate, which focuses our shared call to holiness. The document states: We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Holiness does not come from grandiose achievements but by many small gestures. Pope Francis believes the road to holiness is not the same for all of us, but we must discern the path that is right for us. I encourage you to read some of the highlights of this document as it pertains to our daily journey in the Christian life. We will be offering a formation and discussion night on the document in the coming months.   
 
This Thursday, May 10, we will gather for our annual Leadership Dinner. This is a way for us to thank those who give of their time and talent as leaders in the various ministries of our parish. This is also a time for us to share important things that are happening in the parish. Please keep in prayer all those who serve our parish in this important way.
 
A special thanks to all those who helped to make our celebrations of First Communion and Confirmation so beautiful. We are especially grateful to Jo Engert, Diana Hennessey, Christy Gruenbaum, Peggy Foster, and David Armstrong for all they do in the preparation and celebration of these sacraments.
 
We celebrate the gift of our mothers on Mother’s Day next weekend, May 12-13. We will offer a special blessing of mothers at all the Masses and also pass out Mother’s Day carnations. Please be sure to return your Mother’s Day envelope with the name of your living or deceased mother. We will include these envelopes in the procession and prayers at each Mass. The entire month of May is also dedicated to our Blessed Mother, Mary. Please be sure to honor our Blessed Mother throughout the month.
Many Blessings!  
 

In the Gospel for this Fifth Sunday of Easter Jesus makes another one of his “I Am” statements. He says: I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. This image Jesus uses is really an invitation into a relationship with him. When we remain with Jesus and stay connected to him as a branch on the vine, we will bear the fruit of our faith. But as branches on the vine we also need to be pruned in order to bear more fruit. Jesus reminds us that we are pruned by his Word when we allow it to take root in our lives and are willing to follow his example of love. As we continue to celebrate the new life of the Easter season and see signs of new life around us this Spring, here are some questions to ask ourselves: Do our words and actions reflect our connection to the Vine? In what areas do our lives need to be pruned so that we can bear the good fruit of our faith?
 
Next Sunday, May 6, at the Noon Mass, our parish will host the monthly diocesan Open Door Mass. This Mass is rotated among parishes in the diocese, and is an opportunity to especially welcome those with special needs or disabilities. There will also be a sign language interpreter present for the deaf and hearing impaired. As we strive to be a welcoming community, this will be an opportunity for us to raise awareness about ways we can be attentive to serving others. Please feel free to invite any family and friends who would like to attend.
 
This Monday, April 30, we will welcome Bishop James Johnston to our parish to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our teens who have been preparing this past year. Bishop Johnston spends about an hour with our teens before the Confirmation Mass begins, as a way to get to know them and share about his life. We are grateful for this time our Bishop spends with our youth. We have about 90 high school teens receiving Confirmation this year. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will enliven their faith and continue to strengthen and guide them throughout their lives.   
 
As we enter the month of May, we remember that May is the month of Mothers. We especially honor our Blessed Mother, as she is the Mother of us all through her Son, Jesus. There will be special times to pray the Rosary throughout the month. Please see the bulletin for details. We also celebrate Mother’s Day the weekend of May 12-13. You can honor your mother, living or deceased, by filling out the Mother’s Day envelope included in your May packet or by filling out your own envelope and including a contribution in their name. We will remember them at all the Masses May 12-13.
Many Blessings!
 

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday. The reference comes from the Gospel where we hear Jesus say: I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus is the one who models for us the great love God has for all creation. Jesus is the one, true, Shepherd who desires all people to be included in the one flock. Jesus cares for us even to the point of laying down his life for our sake. There is nothing that Jesus will hold back from us. This is also a great image for what it means to be a faith community. As we place out trust in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we invite others into the flock and allow others to know Christ through our example. May we always listen attentively to the voice of the Good Shepherd.
 
Good Shepherd Sunday is also World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The Church always needs men and women willing to dedicate themselves to a life of service in the Church. Please say a prayer for those discerning a call to religious life and that young people will be open to serving God’s people.
 
During the Easter season, we hear several scripture selections from the Acts of the Apostles. These readings speak about the early Christian community and how they lived out their faith in our Risen Savior. One of the things that set the early Christians apart was their care for one another. This was a way they modeled the love of Christ for others. We are blessed here at Presentation with an active and extensive Pastoral Care Ministry. Hundreds of people are ministered to each week through our Communion ministry to hospitals, nursing homes, and the sick and homebound as well as our BeFriender ministry to those who are dealing with difficult life issues. We provide meals to those coming home from hospital stays and rides for those needing transportation to important appointments. We provide on-going support for those who are separated and divorced, those grieving the loss of loved ones, and the widows of our community. We are grateful for the many parishioners who share of their time and talent as volunteers in these ministries and for the leadership provided by our Pastoral Care Director, Marilyn Schmidt, and Assistant, Lori Doran. Our Pastoral Care Ministry is an important way we share the love of Christ with others. Please consider supporting these ministries through your participation and be sure to call our Pastoral Care Office if you or a loved one could benefit from these ministries.
 
Please join us next Saturday, April 28, at 9:00 a.m. for our Spring Spruce Up Day for our parish grounds. There are many projects to be completed so any help you can give is greatly appreciated. See the bulletin for more details. Many Blessings!