Dear Parishioners and Friends,
As we enter Holy Week and the commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, I am pleased to share with you some thoughts by our Pastoral Associate, Patricia Curtis, in which she reflects on the ways in which our parish has been engaged in bringing the Gospel message to life in our various ministries.
Called to Live the Christ-life Abundantly
-Pat Curtis, Pastoral Associate
Someone asked me recently, “What is one of the best things about St. Patrick-St. Anthony?” I answered with the first word that came to my mind – ABUNDANCE! On so many levels, we experience abundance as a community of faith.
I have watched over the years that as people first arrive at St. Patrick-St. Anthony, often at a liturgy, there is sometimes a need to pause, to ‘just be’ or maybe to heal or find space from dealing with a particular life event. At these times, the abundance of our warm welcome along with impactful preaching and stirring music pours over an individual’s being, maybe even touching their spirit or easing the way forward with compassion.
Once a recipient of abundance, folks then have a tendency to desire to be part of the abundance. They step forward, raise a hand, answer a call seeking volunteer assistance with an outreach project or begin to bring in clothing or food when the need is advertised within our community. And, now, they, too, are contributing to the abundance shared. They have stepped out of the pew and into the stream of mercy flowing outward. The rhythm of abundance at St. Patrick-St. Anthony has caught them up in a life-giving stream – like living water springing up and flowing forth.
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)
This life-giving stream of abundance, this living water, flows straight from our font and has its roots in our own Baptisms. As we consider a renewed sense of the first sacrament we receive, we realize our identity and our dignity are rooted in and flow from Baptism. We are all receivers of the same grace. And, we are all sharers in the mission of the Church, empowered by the Spirit, to help the Church read the signs of the times and take the next life-giving steps toward holiness for all people. Together we reclaim this incredible gift and grace given at Baptism.
Our commitments and contributions in family life, at our workplaces, and here at the parish and in our local communities allow us the privilege of exercising our priestly, prophetic and royal ministry for building up the Church, the People of God.
The current Synod pilgrimage to which Pope Francis invites us is the opportune time to fully embrace the dignity of our personhood rooted in the Christ-life. On the Synod journey, we named our joys and gave voice to our hurts and challenges within the Church. So, now is the time to embody the vision we hold for the People of God to live life abundantly.
Here at St. Patrick-St. Anthony, we are bound together by an empowering motto, “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” Leaning into this motto, we allow it to further inform and define how we as a “faith family” choose to live lives fully watered from the flowing abundance of our Baptismal grace. We stay open to ways women serve, lead, teach, and proclaim messages of faith, hope, and love. We continue to welcome all genders and support the pursuit of belonging fully. We stand ready to embrace the themes discussed at the global Synod in October 2023 while further education and cries for acceptance remain on the agenda.
And now, at the end of Lent and the beginning of the Easter season, we as a parish have been asked by our local Archdiocese to develop ‘vocations awareness’ among parishioners. Understanding ‘vocation’ to be rooted in our common Baptism, we can give witness to vocations of generous single lives, loving marriages, devoted religious, and faith-filled children. We pray for those discerning a call to ministerial priesthood while celebrating the universal call to holiness for all People of God.
This Easter we will once again renew our Baptismal promises. And, when the water from the sprinkling rite at Mass touches your head, feel afresh the renewal of your spirit in your vocation, in your journey of discernment at each turn in your life as a follower of Jesus Christ. -Pat Curtis
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M., Pastor
