Pastor’s Letter: July 31, 2022

Pastor’s Letter: July 31, 2022

29 Jul 2022 | Posted by: chadmin

The July 31 bulletin is now available online. 

Dear friend,

Deacon Daniel Dionesotes will end his summer assignment at St. Philomena after the 11am Mass on Sunday, July 31. All of the seminarians will go on retreat together before a week vacation and a return to seminary. Deacon Daniel attends Mount St. Mary’s seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. After one more year at the seminary, Deacon Daniel will be ordained a priest at St. Mary Cathedral on May 27, 2023. This is an exciting time for him and his three classmates. Please keep them in your prayers, as the last year can be a bit tough to stay engaged in the education aspect of seminary when one is excited to begin ministry in the Church. Many of you have commented on how well-composed and well-spoken Deacon Daniel showed himself to be this summer. I too enjoy listening to his homilies. I am hopeful for a long and inspiring priesthood for Deacon Daniel. Thank you to all who hosted him this summer at your house or offered him encouragement in his journey. Like any life commitment, much time and prayer is consumed in making a decision to be a priest. It is good for him to hear the honest encouragement many of you offered this summer.

This Sunday we have another one of those great Gospel quotes from Jesus. “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Such a beautiful line to pray with. We all know that our country is one of the richest in the world, and in the history of the world. We also know that all of us are at a different level in our economy. Our personal economic stability can certainly change with changing jobs or factors like the current inflation. Despite the wealth or security some of us may enjoy, the emotional, psychological, or spiritual reliance on wealth will always disappoint. Of course, money in itself is not evil, but it can result in a spiritual slavery. Anything that we allow to consume our hearts or minds that is not God’s eternal kingdom of peace, will lead us down a path of evil. One of the great points within Christian teaching is to have balance and moderation in all things. May the Lord grant us the wisdom to know if anything or anyone in our lives is not producing a good in our hearts that we might change to focus on the one thing that truly matters, the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God bless,

Father David