Happy Mother’s Day!! God bless all of our mothers here with us and those who have gone before us. May is also the month that we keep our heavenly mother in mind. So many of the saints have given us an example of the importance of the rosary. If that is not a part of your prayer life, perhaps give it a try this month. If it is, keep that up and pray for our parishes and vocations to the priesthood and married life.
This past week was the Deanery Youth Ministry meeting that keeps in mind our young people and ways of supporting them to grow in the faith. The Deanery Priests also had their quarterly meeting that allowed us to gather for a meal and planning. It is always good to work together and draw on each other so as to build up the Kingdom.
Many committees at our Parish are meeting for the last time as they take a break over the summer months. This is yet another reminder of how time flies and the need for many to step up and take part in events and activities around the parish. Now is NOT the time to wait to be asked! Go ahead and actively involve yourself and encourage others to join you. We are the Body of Christ and we all have many different talents that are needed to build up our parishes. If we see something lacking, perhaps it is because no one stepped up. Pray about plugging your involvement in to some aspect of parish life and see what God places on your heart. He provides answers…if only we pause and listen to Him.
May 20th will be a big day for the diocese of La Crosse. We will have a new Bishop! So in the coming days, please pray for Bishop Battersby. Know that most of the priests will be in La Crosse for that historical event. Having mentioned the month of Mary and devotion to the Rosary, perhaps pray a Rosary dedicated to our Diocese and fruitfulness for Bishop Battersby’s leadership.
Another great moment will be “The Answer” event in La Crosse and throughout the Diocese in June. This event is being highlighted in the Catholic Life magazine of the Diocese. I will be down in La Crosse when the monstrance is passed to our diocese. There are wonderful, inspiring speakers lined up and I am scheduled for a couple hours of confessions along with a number of other priests. If you have thought about going, please do so. If it was not on your radar, look again at the posters and the Catholic Life magazine articles that spell out all the amazing things that will be happening in our Diocese as a part of the National Eucharistic Revival.