Pastor’s Letter: November 24, 2024

Pastor’s Letter: November 24, 2024

22 Nov 2024 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessings and peace to you all this week! I hope everyone enjoys a great Thanksgiving week! A good number of years ago now, I was assigned at the Newman Center over in Champaign. Just before the school year started, we had our Resident Advisors dorm staff (students who worked in the dorm to watch over the residents) in for a training week and a mini getaway to help bond the group together. During that time I decided to treat everyone to a local ice cream stand. We had a large group (I think there were 22 total), so you can imagine that it took a good while for all of us to work through the line. At one point, I realized there was a father with three kids behind us…the kids were getting a bit restless and impatient…and that dad gave me a look that said, “You all aren’t from around here are you?” I just smiled and said, “I’m sorry you are behind our group—I am a father of many.”

At the time, I didn’t realize that one of the student leaders, Meg, heard me say that. A couple of days later back on campus we were hosting our dorm move-in pizza party. With a big smile, Meg walked up to me and handed me a special Diet Coke can that said “Dad” on the side. She said as she was handing out the drinks she noticed that my name was on one of the cans. For me, it was a special moment that reminded me who I am as a priest—who God has made me to be—and one of the great gifts of the priesthood to be a spiritual father for many.

When I moved from the Newman Center to a new assignment, I ended up packing that empty Diet Coke can and taking it with me. Several other moves through the years, I remember asking myself, “Am I going to pack and move that empty can again?” The answer each time has been, “Yes, it is a good reminder of who I am.” Whatever happened to Meg? I traveled to Chicago earlier this weekend for her wedding!

As I am thinking about this week ahead, I find myself feeling very thankful. Certainly thankful for Meg and being able to celebrate with her and her family. Definitely thankful to be here with my new parish family—thankful for the many blessings these past months…and looking forward to many more blessings in the months and years ahead. For me, Thanksgiving is always a great time to do what we do every time we come together for the Mass: to give thanks to God.

While Thanksgiving is certainly an “American Holiday,” it has included a religious element from the beginning. As the Catholic Encyclopedia teaches, “The custom originated in 1621, when Governor Bradford of the Plymouth colony appointed a day for public praise and prayer after the first harvest, and the practice spread throughout the other New England colonies. The first national observance was when President Washington, at the request of Congress, recommended Thursday, 26 November, 1789, to the people of the United States ‘as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God.’ This proclamation exhorted the people to ‘beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best’.” In terms of Catholic observance, we have a special set of Mass prayers for Thanksgiving Day, concentrating on God’s generosity and guidance for our nation, and our gratitude for His kindness. Overall, our celebration is very much in accord with the original intentions of Governor Bradford and President Washington. If you are in town on Thanksgiving Day, we’ll have a special Mass at 9am to give thanks for the blessings of this past year and to ask God’s blessing upon the year ahead. Know of my thanks for you all this week and that I am sending everyone an extra blessing on Thanksgiving Day!

In Christ,

Father Luke