May 22, 2022 – Pastor’s Corner

PASTOR’S CORNER
Dear Parishioners:
We recently had Archbishop Fabre with us for a beautiful
Confirmation Mass at Our Lady of the Caves. Seventeen of our
young people received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and six
more will be receiving Baptism, First Holy Communion and
Confirmation on May 29th! It is a wonderful time of spiritual
fruitfulness in our parish!
The Second Vatican Council teaches that, by Baptism and
Confirmation, we are “assigned to the apostolate by the Lord
Himself.” What does that mean? Apostles are those who are sent
out by the Lord to bring the Good News to others. We all know
that the Twelve Apostles were the first priests and bishops of the
Church, but all of us participate in the Baptismal Priesthood (or
“Common Priesthood”) of all believers. We are all called,
commissioned, and obligated, to bring the Good News of Jesus
Christ to others, to the world that so desperately needs Him.
How do we fulfill this commission? If I were to stay here longer, I
would have liked to try to start up some groups like the Legion of
Mary (the world’s largest Catholic lay apostolate) and the Society of
St. Vincent de Paul (the best known apostolate for serving the
poor). But there are many ways in which we can exercise our
apostolate: do you pray in public (including making the Sign of the
Cross)? Do you show by your actions that Christ is the most
important person in your life? Do you talk to your co-workers and
friends about the Lord Jesus and our Catholic Faith?
I would like to stress how important our actions are (“actions speak
louder than words”), or as St. Francis said it so well: “Preach
always; when necessary, use words.”
Fr. Ben