June 8, 2003
The Feast of Pentecost
Celebrating
Father Jim
You
may have heard via the “grapevine’ that Father Jim will be
assigned to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst as of
June 25th.
We will celebrate a Mass on Friday, June 13th at 7:30pm in the church,
followed by a reception on St. Brigid’s Green. All are invited.
Father
Marty
Keep
those prayers coming for Father Marty Klein who is making remarkable
progress following a critical heart attack. This past week he left the
hospital and is now in rehab so that he will become well enough and
strong enough to resume his priestly ministry -- at Our Lady of Perpetual
Help in Lindenhurst!
Gracias,
Merci, Grazie
Thanks
to all who made our parish Ministry Thank You Picnic such a great success.
Everyone young and old enjoyed themselves, despite the rainy weather.
If you’d like to give your time and expertise at helping our parish
connect its telephone systems or work on its website, you can let us
know by filling in our
online form
Want
to e-mail Father Ralph?
Past Columns:
June 1: Beyond First Communion
May 24: Felicidades Manuel
May 18: Twenty Years Later
May 11: Bows for Peace
May 4: Upcoming Ordinations
April 27: One Heart One
Mind
April 20: Amazingly Graced
Days
April 13: Ashes to Palms
April 6:
God Embedded
March 30:
Pastoral Visits
March 23:
Turning Tables
March
16: Transfiguring Imagination
March
9: Beasts and Angels
March 2:
Lent and Imagination
Feb 23: Sorrow
Far and Wide
Feb 16: Saints
Feb 9: Columbia Lessons
Feb2: Giving At A Difficult
Time
Jan 26: Penny Power
& Catholic Schools
Jan19: Yet Another
Year
Jan 12: Stealing Jesus
Jan5: The Wise Still Come
From Afar
Columns from 2002
Here are the confirmandi with Father Ralph.
St. Brigid’s is a “Pentecost Parish”.
Look at the evidence: on the first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to
the Apostles who were emboldened to proclaim the Good News of Jesus and
everyone heard this news in their own language.
“Tongues of fire” came down upon
the Apostles not to burn them, but as a sign that they were “burning”
with a joy and a faith that was meant to be contagious.
Aren’t these descriptions of the first
Pentecost fitting for our parish life also? We too gather people who hear
the Good News proclaimed in their own languages. We too are filled with
a joy and a faith that is “catching”. We too are blessed with
the power of the Holy Spirit .
One way to celebrate Pentecost well is to
consider the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given each of us. We have
traditional names for these gifts: Wisdom, Knowledge, Courage, Right Judgment,
Understanding, Reverence, Wonder & Awe. (Which of these gifts do you
have? Which do you desire?) And there are other gifts as well -- music,
crafts, sports, listening, cooking, decorating, hospitality, consolation,
teaching, construction, organizing, advocacy, peace-making...the list
is as varied as the people God created.
To celebrate the gifts that the Holy Spirit
has given to us, it would be good on Pentecost to send a spiritual “thank
you note” to the Holy Spirit. (You could actually write it out or
pray it in your heart.) It might start like this: “Dear Holy Spirit,
You have given me these gifts and talents in my life (list them)....Thank
you for blessing me with these. Please show me how to enjoy using these
gifts more. Show me how to share these gifts with others, for that is
why you blessed me with them in the first place. There are some other
gifts I would like to have right now in my life (list these: e.g. patience,
understanding, forgiveness, etc.) Come Holy Spirit and bless me with the
gifts I need to be a more faithful follower of Jesus. ....”
We are a Pentecost Parish, richly blessed
by the gifts of diversity and faith. Like the Apostles, we proclaim this
with joy and we thank God.
You are Person
