“Fill-in Twitcher:” Annie Gardner
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
This “Twitch” is starting out very similarly to last week’s. Monsignor Jim was admitted to the hospital yesterday (that is Monday, May 2nd) because of shortness of breath. A tube was inserted into his chest Monday night to drain fluid which has built up (again!) in his lungs. He will be hospitalized for at least “a few days” while the fluid drains and his medical team tries to figure out what’s going on to cause this. As you can imagine, he is frustrated with his health issues and with being away from his Parish Family. Please keep him in your prayers.
You may remember from last week, that we are planning to send two of our young men to World Youth Day in Krakow this summer, and asking our Parish Family to support this both spiritually and financially. As of now, we have had six parishioners step up with donations totaling $930.00. We are on our way, but have a long way to go to reach $8,400. As one donor suggested, “if 84 people each contributed $100.00 we’d have it done.” I realize there are some who can do less, and there are some who can do more. Please do what you can this week… put it in an envelope marked “World Youth Day” with your name on it and drop it in at the office.
Ok, now shifting gears……..
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension. But wait, didn’t we refer to this Holy Day as “Ascension Thursday?” Is someone messing with our heads?’
In 1998, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops petitioned the Vatican asking that the celebration of the Feast of the Ascension be transferred to the following Sunday. In the United States, approval to transfer the feast from Thursday to Sunday was obtained in 1999. By decree of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, authority to actually make the change was granted to the ecclesiastical provinces. Generally speaking, an ecclesiastical province is one large archdiocese and all the dioceses that are historically associated with it. For example, take the Ecclesiastical province of Miami. Its metropolitan bishop is the Archbishop of Miami, Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
The province also includes the dioceses of Orlando, Palm Beach, Pensacola-Tallahassee, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, and Venice.
Today, only the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia and Omaha continue to celebrate the Ascension of our Lord on Thursday.
OK… enough of the technical stuff!
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord celebrates the bodily ascending of Jesus into Heaven. He left his disciples with the mission to preach his message to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. He had been with them, teaching them and now was parting from them. BUT, he did not leave them alone. He promised to send his Holy Spirit… power from on high.
While we stay tuned for the events commemorated on the Feast of Pentecost next Sunday, let us ask for the realization that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives, here and now and always.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Let’s hold each other close in prayer this week.
