Brothers and Sisters in Christ – “The Lord has placed in Mary the fullness of all good. So that if there is anything of hope in us, if anything of grace, if anything of salvation, we may rest assured it has overflowed into us from her. With every fiber of our being, every feeling of our hearts, with all affections of our minds, and with all the ardor of our souls let us honor Mary because this is the will of God, who would have us obtain everything through her hands” (St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon 6: For the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary). The month of May is dedicated to our Blessed Mother. She was a woman who gave herself over completely to God and His will. Her “yes” provided a home for the Son of God. She gave God flesh. Because of Mary, Jesus had a heart of love formed by her example which allowed him to heal and bless. Pope Francis has a beautiful devotion to our Blessed Mother. After each trip out of Rome he stops at the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before an icon of the Virgin. Our Holy Father has consecrated his life to the Blessed Mother and allows the example of her life to guide him. When speaking of the Blessed Mother, Pope Francis reminds us that it’s with the poor and forgotten that we find God because He is with them. It’s there where God found Mary. Pope Francis reminds us that in order to find God we have to go to the frontiers of our own poverty and emptiness. When we discover God, like Mary, we allow God to fill us with Himself. We’re filled with God’s grace and love. Our sinfulness is replaced with God who fills us with mercy. Mary is our Way to Christ, her son. Mary is the way to heaven. Mary is an example of holiness. I encourage each of us to meditate on the life of the Blessed Mother this month. How can her example of holiness inspire us to grow as Christians? Give your life over to our Blessed Mother and ask her to assist you in turning away from your sinfulness. In those moments of temptation, which are all too easy to give into, pray a Hail Mary at the very moment when you’re about to behave in a sinful way and allow our Blessed Mother to turn your sin into a moment of grace. Hail Mary full of grace, protect us. Help us to grow in holiness. Assist us in naming our sins. And give us the strength to turn away from evil, as you always did, and embrace our vocation to a life of holiness. A few announcements: Pentecost Collection … On Sunday, May 19 the collection for Seminary Education is taken. The money donated goes to support the formation of those men preparing for the priesthood of the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend. Please place your envelope in the regular collection. If you don’t use our parish envelopes, please place your donation in an envelope marked “Pentecost Collection for Seminary Education” or note that on the memo line of your check. THANK YOU for your generosity! Summer Mass Schedule … The Parish Pastoral Council, after hearing from parishioners, has decided that we will have one Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m. for the months of July and August. THIS IS NOT A PERMANENT TIME CHANGE! The regular Mass schedule will resume on Sunday, September 1st. The music will be provided by the Gospel Choir with the assistance of Lora Wade, our 8:15 Mass cantor. Nicene Creed … The Solemnity of Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season. During the season of Ordinary Time, we’ll be praying the Nicene Creed at Mass. Thank You … My sincere gratitude to Carol Bonsignore who provided and cared for the flowers that decorated our worship space for the 50 days of the Easter season. Holy Cross Vocation Magazine … The latest issue of Ave Crux, a publication of the U.S. Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be found on the table in the vestibule. This issue focuses on the eight men who were ordained Holy Cross priests in April. Please help yourself to a copy. Bible Study … St. A's will be hosting a Parish Bible Study at Kathleen Twyner-Coley's home in May for four Wednesdays (May 1 – 22) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. If you’re interested, please contact Kathleen at [email protected] for her home address. Centering Prayer … Sponsored by the Spirituality Committee of the Parish Pastoral Council, will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 19 in our worship space. All are welcome! Annual Parish Picnic … Will be held from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 25 at the St. Patrick County Park. Please mark your calendars. Cecilia Newbill has graciously accepted my invitation to be the chairwoman. Please volunteer to be a part of the planning committee so that we can make this day a success! You can give your name to me or Alfred Guillaume, our Parish Pastoral Council president, and we’ll pass it along to Cecilia. She’ll also be personally reaching out to parishioners. Spiritual Companions … The Sisters of the Holy Cross at St. Mary’s College have begun reaching out to our homebound parishioners to be their spiritual companions through phone calls, conversation, and shared prayer. If you know of any parishioner who would be interested, please let me know. Please be sure to let our parishioner know that you’re going to share their name and contact information. Finance Council … Members will meet on Tuesday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the parish hall. Women’s Group … The next gathering will be on Saturday, June 29 from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. The meeting will be either via Zoom or in person. Please watch for an email confirming the location. Any women of the parish are welcome. Please contact Sr. Betty at [email protected]. Parish Census … Please help us keep the parish census updated. If you have an address change, a new phone number, or change your email address, please drop a note in the collection basket, or to the parish office, and let us know. It’s important for the parish to have an accurate accounting of our membership. St. Augustine, pray for us! Fr. John, C.S.C.