What a great gift, to have our Vocation Director for our diocese spend the weekend with us. It is a great encouragement for us to pray and support vocations to the diocesan priesthood or wherever the Lord is calling our young people. Our area of the diocese has a few young men more seriously considering the priesthood. Any young man should reflect on that at some point. Prayer and our Lady’s presence in their lives have been key aspects of responding to the Lord’s invitation according to recent studies of the newly ordained in our country.
This Thursday will be the parish council meeting at St. Casimir parish. I am grateful for those who give of their time for others. Often work is done behind the scenes so they are not always thanked for what they have done. Bishop Battersby will be at St. Casimir parish next Sunday. The Bishop is there to pray with us and is an opportunity for him to be with his flock. After Mass he is happy to greet everyone and take pictures but then he is off to his next appointment. So take that moment to be with our shepherd.
Jubilee 2025 for the universal Church continues and life can get busy and that is not at the forefront of our minds. So I offer a recap from the Catholic Life magazine. Jubilee indulgences: special graces for the forgiveness of sins are made available during the Jubilee Year. The faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence–remission of all temporal punishments (time in purgatory) for sin–by meeting the normal conditions (confession, holy Communion, prayer for the pope’s intentions and no attachment to sin) and by participating in one of the following activities: Pilgrimages. Pious visits to sacred places: at these locations, the faithful are to engage in eucharistic adoration and meditation among other spiritual practices. Works of mercy and penance: the faithful are to perform the spiritual or corporal works of mercy or carry out works of penance, such as abstaining from meat on Fridays. Or the Holy Doors in Rome. There is still time for many graces in this Jubilee year, open your heart to them.