May
6, 2007
About
Father George
Easter
Sacraments
During these fifty days of Easter we joyfully celebrate the Easter Sacraments
of Confirmation and Eucharist. This week Bishop Murphy is coming to
confirm the young people of our parish. We continue to pray for them
during this holy time in their lives, that they will grow ever closer
to God and the church family. Confirmation is not like graduation where
people leave an institution -- rather it is a new beginning of a deeper
life in the Holy Spirit and the church.
We are also celebrating first communions. Each year parents bring children
to receive the Eucharist for the first time. But it doesn’t stop
there. This season brings time for “second communion”, “third
communion,” etc. First communion is only the first step in a life-long
love of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Online
Masses
We are now going to be able to stream masses and other events live over
the internet to homebound folks and to relatives who live in other lands.
If you’re interested in this, in this, click
here.
Away
at College?
Are you or your child away at college? At St. Brigid’s we like
to stay in touch via occasional e-mails as we send photos and news from
“home”. College students wishing to be connected through
our “Letters from home” can sign up online here
or you can mail or
e-mail thecollege names and e-mail addresses to Father Ralph and he’ll
put them on the list.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
April 29: Hearing Voices
April 22:Three Stones
April 15: What a week!
April 8: Alleluia! Alleluia!
April 1: Holy Week
March 25: Climate Change
March 18: Take A Step
March 11: Cold Enough for
You?
March 4:Stocking the Shelves
Feb 25: Basket Case
Feb18: Ashes and Desert
Dust
Feb11: Get Ready, Get Set,
REST!
Feb.4: Lent Lurking
Jan.28:Catholic Schools
Week
Jan.21:Crying in Church
Jan.14: Love ahead
Jan.7:
So How Was Your Christmas?
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns from
2003
Columns from 2002
For
a hundred days we were again blessed with the life-giving ministry of
Father George Onida. His religious order, the Marianists, had recently
finished work in a parish in North Carolina just at the time when Father
John was headed off for a sabbatical and so Father George was available
to come to St. Brigid’s to help us out until Father John came back.
In those hundred days, Father George
became Father George “O’Nida” on that snowy St. Patrick’s
Day; he was George the slayer of dragons -- that is the dragons of poverty
and hunger and cold as he would go out to the streets of New Cassel with
warm coats and hats and gloves (and coffee and muffins) along with Los
Jovenes (our hispanic young adult group). He was George the consoler at
so many funerals during these three months. He presided at Holy Thursday
and again challenged us to lives of service. His preaching made us smile
and laugh and then think and then act differently.
So many have asked if there was
any way we could “keep” Father George. And I’d be the
first to “sign him up” for a whole term here. But we knew
from the start that his time here was only a visit and that now he’ll
be off to another parish. Perhaps it would help to connect this moment
with what the apostles felt at the time of Jesus’ Ascension: they
knew they were going to miss him terribly, but he had empowered them to
go into the world to bring about God’s kingdom. And Jesus’
spirit guided them. In a similar way, we will miss you Father George,
but you have empowered us to live more fully the mission of Christ.
Father George’s last Sunday
mass will be the 6pm Rock Mass in the school next weekend. After that
mass we’ll have some light refreshments and some time to wish Father
George well. So if you’ve had time to celebrate Mother’s Day
earlier in the day and want to either come to that mass or stop in afterwards,
feel free to spend some time together with Father George.
