Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are blessed to welcome to our diocese and our parish for the first time, the relics of St. Bernadette Soubirous from Lourdes, France (other than her relics that are currently in our altar). St. Bernadette’s relics will tour the United States and be made available for veneration at more than 30 churches and shrines from the East to West coast.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Most post pubescent males can father a child. Fathering a child is vastly different from being a good father. So, what does it take to be a good father? On this Father’s Day, I would like to address the vital role my father holds in my life and the important role of the father in the life of his family.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As human beings, we need one another. We are united as God’s children. We are family. As such, it is good to understand that being a beloved child of God the Most High, we are called to seek a holy and life-giving relationship with God and one another. Since each of us have been created in the image and likeness of God, we are able to be a sacred reflection of the Most Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity celebrates the most powerful mystery of who God is as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Secondly, today reminds us of the relationship God shares with us, His beloved children.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, the most important feast of the Church after Easter and Christmas. The word Pentecost means fifty in Greek because it occurs fifty days after Easter. It is also called the birthday of the Church, for on this day, the Holy Spirit descended on the Church to confirm and establish it as the New Covenant which is now open to all people of the world.