Holy Spirit Parish

Dear Holy Spirit Parish:                                                         April 4, 2021
 
           “Though the doors were locked….. Jesus came.”
                                                                                                       (John 20:19)
 
Jesus didn’t have locked doors to contend with, but he did have to get through making reservations, keeping social distancing, masking and no singing this Easter….. And He still came!  The Holy Week liturgies are well worn path ways for the risen Christ to enter human hearts. And He used them again this year!  Did we not hear the living God speaking to us in real time as we listened to the scriptures? Though our voices were silent were not our hearts filled by the beautiful music?  The palms, the cup, the cross, the candles, the baptism font, the oil, the bread and the wine were all filled with grace and Spirit.  Even through our business, our worry, our conflicts, our pandemic…. He came. 
 
There was special joy in seeing people for whom this was their first time to Church in over a year.  How else can you explain people’s faith staying vibrant for 14 months without the opportunity to attend Eucharist or many other faith gatherings, except for the fact that … He came!  He came to our homes, He came into our silences,  He came through the mail, across the internet, and via delivery trucks.  He fed us and nurtured us even in our isolation.  How rich it will be when we can all gather again with each of us bearing Christ in hearts made all the purer by the trials of this past year.
 
Thank you to all who had a part in making our Holy Week liturgies so beautiful:  the art and environment team, all the cantors and accompanists, the lectors, the deacons, the videographers, the RCIA team, the maintenance staff and our mountain moving office staff.  It is a privilege and joy to be part of such a creative, skilled and hardworking team.
 
It is fortunate that Christ is not easily put off, because we throw Him another challenge this week. Tomorrow (Monday) morning Church Interiors Inc. begins putting up the scaffolding that will remain up for the next three months as they paint the interior of the church.  Beginning next weekend we will gather at Pacelli High School’s Fine Arts Center for weekend Masses.  I have been adding the address to the High School to all of my prayers lately to make sure…. He comes!
 
Daily Masses beginning Tuesday will be in the Chapel (Gathering Room of the Ministry Center by the Tree of Life Stain Glass Window) at their usual 8:15am time.  These Masses are open to your attending.  So far the number of people attending daily Mass in the church has not exceeded the 25 people we can accommodate with social distancing in the chapel.  For those who are watching the live stream, we will need to go back to using Facebook for daily Mass.
 
Next weekend all of the Masses, 5:00pm Saturday, 8:00am, 10:00am and 6:00pm will be open to people attending.  For the present we still ask people to register in advance by Thursday.  That gives us time to make seating charts.  There is seating on the floor, and for those who don’t mind stairs, seating in the riser area.  With social distancing the Fine Arts Center can hold about 100 people, so quite a few more than we are able to hold in Church.  We are able to use the Pacelli parking lot.  Please come in the door on the East side of the building closest to Prentice Street. 
 
This week also holds the last meeting of our current round of Alpha.  We are all wondering where the eleven weeks have gone!  We’ll be sharing testimonies of those who attended.  But I can give you the summary now:  Though the doors were locked….. He came.
 
Fr. Steve
 

 

Care for Our Earth: Four Perspectives
A Listening Session, April 21st, 6:30PM via Zoom
 
Four panelists with ties to our very own parish will tell stories about their connections to the natural world and how they came to turn these connections into careers in caring for our earth.
 
The listening session is set within St. Francis of Assis’s Canticle of the Sun, and panelists include Trevor Frank (soils specialist/Mother Earth), Ryan Negro (solar energy/Brother Sun), Michael Staudenmaier (meteorology at NOAA/Brothers Wind and Air), and Eric Olson (lakes and water specialist, Sister Water.)

Register here: Listening Session Registration
Zoom links will be sent a few days before the event

FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES
is BACK!
We’re celebrating Earth Day with David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet April 23rd 6:30 PM This 2020 documentary is Attenborough’s personal and moving “witness statement” about the changes he has observed in the global landscape over the course of his 40 year career documenting life on earth. Throughout this family-friendly film, Attenborough invites us to increase efforts to work with nature in order to create an environment of sustaining stewardship that leads to the fullness of life for all creation. Plan on sharing in this Family Friendly film in-person, in Spirit Hall, or on-line, at home!

Register here: Friday Night at the Movies
Zoom links will be sent a few days before the event.
 


 

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