Dear Friends in Christ:
Congratulations to all of our graduates. To all of graduates from high school, college and graduate school, know of our prayers and best wishes as you enter into a new phase of your life. Go with confidence, but most importantly, go with God! Always stay close to the Lord and stay strong in your Catholic Faith. Know that God is always there for you and the Catholic Church is always your home. Your graduation is a wonderful achievement and while it is the product of your hard work, it was even more a grace and blessing from the Lord. The future can be both intimidating and filled with hope; remember and know that all good things are possible with God. As you look to the future, remember the real question is not “What do I want to do?” The better question is “What does God want me to do with my life?” Follow the Lord and His ways and you will know happiness and joy! For our High School graduates who are preparing to go off to college, remember to check out the Catholic Campus Ministry or Newman Center on your campus. It is not just about mass, but staying connected and rooted in your Catholic Faith. Being part of Catholic Campus Ministry during college is a great support and can help you make the most of your college years. For details on campus ministry at your school contact our SJV Young Adult Ministry.
As we are moving into summer, here are a few gentle reminders. God never takes a vacation from loving and blessing us and we should never take a vacation from loving and praising God. If you are blessed to get away this summer – fantastic! Please remember that it is a sin to miss Sunday mass and displeasing to God. Making it to mass during vacation is beautiful witness to our children and others of what is right and good. It can also be a means of evangelization of witnessing to others the love of God. If you are travelling, check out this website www.masstimes.org. It has mass times and the location of churches throughout the country and even abroad. It is a wonderful and helpful site. Speaking about mass during the summer, we should not forget that our attire reflects our attitude of reverence and respect. Even during the summer, “Sunday Best” is always in fashion. Attire that is so casual that it is sloppy or immodest is inappropriate for mass. Generally, if you can wear it at the beach, the gym or the playground with no problem, then you should NOT wear it to church. Shorts, flip flops, halter tops, leggings, undershirts, gym clothes, revealing clothes, etc. are inappropriate. Modesty and self-respect are always good things, even in clothing. No one wants to be the fashion police, but prudence dictates – even when not at church, we should all pay attention to our attire. Casual does not mean sloppy or offensive. As Christians, we show the dignity that the Lord has bestowed upon us always.
Summer is a great time to slow down and spend some time with the Lord.
Come to daily mass and bring the kids. Stop by the Adoration Chapel and make a visit to the Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament. Spend some time reading and deepening you understanding of the faith. When on vacation, visit and pray at a shrine, church or monastery. We have a number of things for kids this summer at the parish and other parish fun activities for all ages. Come and be part of the fun at SJV.
Do you know someone who is not Catholic and may be interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith? Invite them to call us, we want to share our beautiful Catholic faith with everyone. Next Sunday, we will be blessed to welcome our two newly ordained parishioners, Fr. Justin Cormie and Fr. Rick Arriola back home for their Masses of Thanksgiving. Please keep them in your prayers and pray that we may be blessed with many more young, energetic, zealous, good and holy priests.
In pace Christi,
Fr. Troy Gately