Brothers and Sisters in Christ – From the Rule of St. Benedict: “Do not aspire to be called holy before you really are, but first be holy that you may more truly be called so. Live by God’s commandments every day … Do not love quarreling, shun ignorance … Pray for your enemies out of love for Christ. If you have a dispute with someone, make peace with him before the sun goes down. And finally, never lose hope in God’s mercy.” On Thursday we’ll mark 40 days since we celebrated the Solemnity of Easter. And 10 days later we’ll celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, which brings an end to the Easter season. Our spiritual journey, which began on Ash Wednesday, has found us focusing on our sinfulness during Lent and then our baptismal call to spread the Good News. On Easter Sunday we renewed our baptismal promises to reject Satan, sin, and the evil that comes from giving into his temptations. As we enter these last weeks of the Easter season it’d be good to spend some time reflecting on our call to holiness. Each one of us is invited to strive for holiness. That is, to spend the entirety of our Christian lives turning away from sin and choosing a life in Christ. There is nothing easy about this spiritual endeavor. We find ourselves tempted by sin each day. At times we’ve become so comfortable with a particular sin (e.g., gossip) that we no longer notice it or acknowledge it. The sin has become a regular and natural part of our life. Other times we fall into a sin unexpectedly (e.g., stealing) and are so taken aback by what we’ve done that we immediately work to correct our fault. In the opening quote from St. Benedict, he reminds us that holiness demands that we LIVE by God’s commandments. We don’t just know them, but they become a part of who we are as Christians. We make life choices based on what God has commanded us to do. His commandments become our life, our way of living each day. A necessary part of my spiritual life is regular meetings with my spiritual director and going to confession. My spiritual director listens to me, offers counsel, and challenges me when he sees me moving away from God and struggling with a life of holiness. The sacrament of Reconciliation allows me to confess those sins that have made a mark on my soul and then experience God’s love and mercy. I invite you to spend the last few weeks of the Easter season reflecting on how your spiritual journey through Lent and Easter has been. Have you noticed spiritual growth? Do you believe that you’re a stronger Christian today than you were on Ash Wednesday? Have you been able to move away from a sin, or those sins that you brought before God during the season of Lent? As we approach Pentecost, pray to the Holy Spirit for spiritual strength and guidance to help you each day grow closer to God and stronger in the faith that we all renewed on Easter Sunday. A few announcements: Vacation and Retreat … I’ll be away from May 4-10. Welcome … Fr. Michael Mathews, C.S.C. who will celebrate the Masses on Sunday, May 5. Fr. Michael and I are seminary classmates and have been friends for 30 years! He has been stationed at both St. Joseph and Holy Cross Parishes in South Bend. After parish ministry he answered the call of missionary service and worked in Uganda. Fr. Michael is currently the staff chaplain at the University of Notre Dame and the Director of Postulants at Moreau Seminary. Rosary … Will be prayed this Sunday at 9:30 in our worship space. All are welcome! Parish Pastoral Council … Members will meet on Saturday, May 11. Furniture Giveaway… Moreau Seminary, on the edge of the Notre Dame Campus, is entering into a renovation and will be removing a large amount of furniture that will no longer be needed. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 11 they will have an open house on their lower level. Items ranging from couches, end tables, lamps, chairs, twin beds, and more will be available at no charge. All items must be taken away the same day. The address for Moreau Seminary is 1837 Moreau Drive, Notre Dame, IN. 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. Te Deum Sacred Music of the English Church … A concert will be held on Friday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Parish at 1050 Wilber Street. This is being sponsored by the St. Hildegard Project. All are welcome! 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! April Collection … The weekly collection amounted to $ 11,146.00 for the month. THANK YOU for your generosity, which allows us to continue and expand our ministries at St. A’s. Annual Parish Picnic … Will be held from 1-6 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. Parish Potluck Dinners … The first post pandemic St. A’s Potluck will be held on May 19, 4-6 p.m. at the home of Alfred Guillaume and Melanie Smith-Guillaume, 14645 Stonington Court in Granger. As customary, please bring a dish to share (hot, cold, or dessert). Beverages will be provided. Children are welcome. Sign-up sheets are on the table in the church foyer. You can also send an email to Alfred at[email protected], or text him at 574-315-1029. On sign-up sheets, please indicate your name, number in your party, what you are bringing to share, and your contact information. Catholic Charities Collection … On Mother’s Day weekend (May 12) we will have the annual collection for Catholic Charities. This is the principal human service agency of the Church in our diocese. The money received in this collection will be used to help those who are in need right here in the Diocese of Ft. Wayne – South Bend, Through our food pantries, assistance with rent, utilities, and mortgage payments, job training and housing assistance for refugees, mentoring programs for at-risk teens, mental health counseling, and support for those experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, Catholic Charities strives to share the love of Jesus with our brothers and sisters who are most in need. Please place your envelope in the regular collection. If you don’t use our parish envelopes, please place your donation in an envelope marked “Catholic Charities” or note that on the memo line of your check. THANK YOU for your generosity! 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. 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! St. Augustine, pray for us! Fr. John, C.S.C.