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Every year, all the priests of the archdiocese gather at Ocean Shores for continuing formation. This year, we will be meeting this week. There are different aspects to continuing formation: spiritual, pastoral, human, and professional. This year we will be focusing on the spiritual. Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas will be leading us in a series of reflections on encounter with Christ, fraternity in Christ, and Life in the Holy Spirit. Archbishop García-Siller was born in Mexico and came to the United States as a missionary in 1980.

There is always the ongoing human formation and time for us to foster fraternity and friendships with other priests. We remember those who have died this past year, and we celebrate those with major anniversaries of ordination. There is even a social time to honor those entering Senior Status.

Since I will be away this week with little time to prepare a homily, Joan Williamson will be sharing reflections next weekend. For the past few months and about once a month, we have been having a woman share reflections at Mass. This originated from our parish synod sessions and is supported by our new Women’s Commission. The women I have asked to share reflections have degrees in theology or related fields, advanced studies, or careers in Church ministry. They are able to bring an important perspective and are a reminder of the importance of women in the Church. All of these are done within the guidelines of the Archdiocese.

We All Will Be Founding Members

This parish is blessed to still have with us many of our founding members. Recently, we just lost two, Ray Weidert and Barbara O’Neill.

Our founding members did an incredible job getting this parish started. From practically nothing, they established not only the physical structure but also the identity and feel of this local community. With hopes and dreams, commitment and generosity, and a lot of prayers and sacrifices, they played a major role in who we are today.

In a very real sense, each of you will now become a founding member of our Parish Family that begins July 1. Who this Parish Family will become depends a lot on you: on your hopes and dreams, on your commitment and generosity, and on your prayers and sacrifices. Establishing a parish from scratch takes the active involvement of each person. So too, establishing a Parish Family.

Someday, future generations will look back with gratitude to those who got this Parish Family started. Get involved and stay involved. It will be a benefit for you and your family as well as future parishioners.

The Different Between Exposition and Adoration

On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, I would like to focus on prayer in the presence of the Eucharist.

“Exposition” and “adoration” are terms that are often interchanged. However, there is a difference. Exposition gives the opportunity for the community to pray with the Eucharist visible. Adoration is most often praying before the tabernacle, when the Eucharist is present but not visible. Exposition is a liturgy of the Church, which involves communal prayer with periods of silence. Adoration is a private devotion that need not involve any communal prayer. Exposition is not a time just for your own quiet prayer; that is the purpose of Adoration.

The ritual book, Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, explains: “During the exposition, there should be prayers, songs, and readings to direct the attention of the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord. To encourage a prayerful spirit, there should be readings from Scripture with a brief homily or exhortations to develop a better understanding of the Eucharistic mystery. It is also desirable for the people to respond to the word of God by singing and to spend some periods of time in religious silence” (95). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have created a variety of holy hours that focus our prayer to Jesus Christ on peace, life, vocations, and other topics that are at the heart of the life of the Church and the world.

The Rite of Eucharistic Exposition is an extension of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which occurs in every Mass. It states, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and serves to deepen our hunger for Communion with Christ and our unity with the rest of the Church.

Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle is available during office hours (except when a Mass is being celebrated). You may need to enter through the parish office. Exposition is celebrated on the first Friday of each month, following the 9:00 am Mass.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings, or participating in parades.

For Christians, the custom of visiting the cemetery and praying for the dead can be traced to the women who returned to the tomb of Jesus that Easter morning to mourn and complete the preparation of His body for burial. Then and there, they discovered that He had been raised from the dead. Today, Catholic cemeteries are signs of hope that are places of prayer. They witness our faith in the Lord Jesus and the hope we share in his resurrection.

Today, our visits to the cemetery are prompted by our love and faith. We come to remember, to mourn, to give thanks for the life our beloved shared with us, and to strengthen our belief that one day we will be united with our beloved in Eternal Life.

Meet Our Parish Leadership Team

The Parish Leadership Team met in person on May 1.

All members were present: Joe Burianek, Irene Cervantes, Nkechi Mbanugo, Michael Murphy, Ray Palisoc, and Renee Samuelsen. Kathy Wickward, Parish Administrator and Finance Council representative, was also present.

Partners in the Gospel will require the Parish Leadership Team to be a strong community, so we spent a considerable amount of time in prayer of reflection on the Sunday’s Gospel. The team then elected Mike Murphy as the new chairperson.

Kathy gave an update on the Finance Council’s work on the 2024-2025 parish budget. The Parish Leadership Team’s role in the budget process is to help make sure the budget aligns with our parish’s priorities.

The Team spent time reflecting on what the new priests assigned to our parish family would need to know about St. John the Baptist Parish. Some time was also spent on reviewing the structure and many programs taking place in our parish, so we’ll be in a better position to help in the transition to Partners in the Gospel.

Mary, Mother of God

As we enter the month of May, I would like to share with you an article from Fr. Paul Turner (Copyright © 2012 Resource Publications, Inc., 160 E. Virginia St. #170, San Jose, CA 95112, 408-286-8505).

Devotion to Mary remains a hallmark of the Catholic faith. Some people, unfamiliar with our religion, assume that prayer to Mary forms the backbone of the Mass. Wrong! Prayer to Mary is certainly the backbone of the rosary, but there isn’t a single prayer addressed to Mary in the entire Mass, front to back, on any day of the liturgical year.

When it comes to prayer, we acknowledge Hebrews 7:25, which says Christ lives forever to make an intercession for us. So we direct our prayers to God through Christ. However, because of Mary’s central role in salvation history, she makes several appearances in the texts at every Mass and every day of the liturgical year.

Most importantly, Mary’s name is pronounced right in the heart of Mass in the Eucharistic prayer. She is called by two titles made mystic by their juxtaposition: “Virgin” and “Mother”. In the second Eucharistic prayer for children, she is also called “Mother of God and our mother.” Mary also appears in the Creed, as the virgin who conceived the Word made flesh.

At times, we celebrate a Mass in her honor, under a title like “Mary, Mother of the Church” (the Monday after Pentecost, which is May 20 this year), or to commemorate an event in her life, like The Visitation (May 31). A preface often prayed on these days echoes her song of praise, the Magnificat. But most frequently, she is remembered as the “Virgin Mother”.

By connecting these two titles of Mary, the church invites us to reflect on her son. Mary’s special role as the “Virgin Mother” reminds us that the miraculous birth of Jesus introduced the world to an extraordinary child, whose miracles would never cease.

At first, the title, “Mother of God,” sounds wrong. God is the uncreated creator of all. How could God have a mother? That puzzling question draws us into a deeper meditation on the identity of Jesus. Because Jesus is both fully God and fully human, Mary must be called “Mother of God”.

In the liturgy, Mary’s role always bows to her son. She gives birth to him not only in time but in the liturgy and in our hearts. During the month of May, many will address devotions to Mary, and rightfully so. But she will direct them to Christ.