This weekend is our Parish Feast Day Weekend. On this, our parish's feast day, we give thanks to Almighty God for all the graces and blessings that He has bestowed upon us, as a Parish Community and as individuals. As we do, it is a wonderful time to reflect upon, rejoice in, and seek the grace to continue responding to all that the Father is calling us to be as a Parish Family. WHAT IS A PARISH FEAST DAY ?
The richness of our Catholic faith believes in the intercession of saints. The patron saint of a particular group of people is a saint who has special affinity to that group, and whose attributes speaks to its members. Some consider asking a saint for intercession, rather than expecting to be answered themselves, as an act displaying humility, calling to mind what is written in the Book of Job 42:8.
Our Feast Day is celebrated on May 31. The Feast is of medieval origin and was only universally adopted in 1389. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration to May 31, between the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord and that of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, "so that it would harmonize better with the Gospel story".
The Visitation is the encounter of the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth as recorded in the Gospel of Luke 1:39-56. Mary, having heard at the Annunciation that Elizabeth was six months pregnant, left her home to visit her. Elizabeth and John the Baptist were inspired by the Holy Spirit at her arrival; and Elizabeth ,seeing Mary’s faithfulness, cared for her giving her the opportunity to nourish the gift of life, Jesus, within her. Mary, surrounded by Elizabeth’s love, pronounced the "Magnificat". It is the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, with the Spiritual Fruit of a Love of Neighbour.
Thus as a parish community dedicated to Mary, under the title of Our Lady of the Visitation, this Feast reminds us of our call to love our neighbour, to be welcoming and to provide a place for others to grow nourishing the Lord within them. Our Parish Feast Day gives us all not only the opportunity to marvel at all that the Lord is doing in our midst, but also the occasion to rejoice!
After each Mass the members of the Knights of Columbus will be having their annual “Roses for Life” Appeal which assists Pro-Life Causes. Thank you to the Knights for all their good work in our parish and community. At our 11:00am Mass we will celebrate with 12 couples from our parish their Marriage Jubilees, we have 1 couple celebrating 55 years, 1 couple celebrating 50, 2 couples celebrating 40, 2 couples celebrating 35, 3 couples celebrating 25, 1 couple each celebrating 20, 10 and 5 years of married life. What a joy filled 11:00am Mass we will have! Then on Tuesday, May 31st, our actual feast day, 25 children will be a part of our “Crowning of Mary” with the celebration of Mass. Please join us at 7:00p.m. for this grace filled time.
I pray that our Parish Feast Day Weekend will provide many fond memories of our year to date, and that it may inspire us to continue to become who the Father is calling us to be
May Our Lady of the Visitation continue to be our inspiration, model and guide.