Exiit qui seminat “The Sower Goes Out To Sow”

Even though the pandemic has officially end some time ago, it still has affected so many aspects of our lives, and the parish is no exception. For St. Padre Pio, the main focus since all of this began was to meet the spiritual and sacramental needs of parishioners. At the bare minimum, that meant a return to a somewhat normal Sunday liturgical celebration.  Other aspects of parish life necessarily diminished.  Now it's time to continue moving forward as a parish, to glorify God with how we love, live and pray and to strive to live out the Gospel as Christ commands.

As you may recall, the Catholic Church in the United States is engaging in a three-year Eucharistic Renewal to increase our faith and devotion in the True Presence of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. In Year 2 we'll be making a concerted effort to pray before our Eucharistic Lord. So starting in September, the first Sunday of every month we'll have a brief time for adoration after every Mass (about 15 minutes). In addition the parish will be scheduling special opportunities to pray before the Eucharist and sharing further catechesis on the importance of Holy Communion in our lives.

Also starting in September, the parish will have additional time for confession on the third Sunday of each month. Along with 4 PM on Saturdays, a priest will be available to hear confessions after the 7:30, 9 and 11 AM Masses.  As Padre Pio wrote, "When disturbed by passions and misfortunes, may the sweet hope of [God's] inexhaustible mercy sustain us. Let us hasten confidently to the tribunal of penance where He awaits us at every instant with the anxiety of a father; and even though we are aware of our inability to repay Him, let us have no doubts about the solemn pardon pronounced over our errors. Let us place a tombstone over them, just as the Lord has done."

These are just a few of the things that the parish will be doing over the next several months to not only feed and nourish the souls of parishioners, but also continue to foster our sense of community as a parish family. One thing in particular is the creation of a 'Welcoming Committee'. If that's something of interest to you, please reach out to me at the rectory!

Please continue to pray for our parish that we can make use of the opportunities that the Lord places in our lives and continue to foster our faith and unity among ourselves and one another!