Dear Parishioners and Friends,
As today’s Gospel about the healing of the ten lepers proclaims a theme of thanksgiving, I find myself feeling very thankful for the blessings of the past week as we celebrated the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. I am particularly thankful for all our parishioners who took part in the various events, but especially for those who volunteered their time and talents to make those events happen.
In his beautiful Canticle of the Creatures, St. Francis praised God for “Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather.” For better or for worse, Brother Wind certainly made his presence known! But wind and some rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those who made their way to the Blessing of Animals and the Parish Potluck Picnic, both of which had to be moved indoors. It was the spirit that counted, and we all enjoyed the opportunity to come together to celebrate our love for our pets and our love for one another.
With the conflict in Ukraine getting more and more dire each day, we have been asking the question: “How can we be instruments of peace?” One of the responses to that question has involved our Women of Hope who are holding Peace Vigils outside our church before and after the Masses on the Sundays in October. In this way, we are extending the message of Peace to our members as we gather for worship together. Beautiful signs were created for parishioners and those driving on Church Street to see as they pass by.
Women of Hope are also taking the message of Peace beyond our immediate community with the opportunity to purchase a SPSA Yard Sign after Masses in October. The message on the sign comes directly from the Peace Pole standing outside our church – “May Peace Prevail on Earth”.
You help us take Peace into our greater Hartford area and into your neighborhood. Our parishioners come from over 126 zip codes and it be wonderful to see our Yard Sign spreading Franciscan Peace far and wide. The offering for the sign is $15 or two signs for $20.
Now, you’re probably wondering who the old gent is in the photo. He is Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of the greatest British composers of the 20th century, and his 150th birthday occurs this week on October 12th. I first became acquainted with his music when I was in college. He wrote everything from great symphonies to familiar hymn tunes, and we will be presenting a festival of his most popular choral music on Saturday, November 5th at 7:00 PM. The choir of St. Joseph Cathedral will join our Gallery Choir, together with Dr. Ezequiel Menendez, the Cathedral organist. It promises to be a wonderful evening of spectacular music that I’m sure you won’t want to miss!
Finally, I just want you to know that I will be taking some vacation time over the next few weeks, so there will have a couple guest columnists to fill in for me while I am away. See you on the 23rd!
Blessings on your week ahead.
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor