The Parish Office is open from 9 am to noon, Monday through Friday. Stop by or give us a call at 671-1100.

Pastoral Messages

United Thank You

Thank you to all who have completed and returned Response Cards!

If you haven’t done so yet, we kindly ask that you to respond by May 31.

We thank all our parish families for your prayerful consideration of the United in Faith and Community initiative.

Why is it important to respond?

First, it allows us to measure how we are doing towards the goal for increased giving. Second, as we plan for our next fiscal year (July 2024-June 2025) for both the church and school, your responses allow us to get a sense for our projected income, enabling us to develop a prudent budget for our staffing, ministries, and campus improvement projects. Third, the response cards help us update our parish records.

We recognize that not everyone has the ability to provide increased financial support at this time. Even if you are not able to increase your gift, we ask that you complete a Response Card. We thank you for your prayers and support for increasing our community of faith.

If you are able to increase your support, the Response Card or online form shows us your intent—you will need to make the changes to your amount yourself by adjusting your online account through the Giving link above or contacting your bank.

We look to conclude our increased giving campaign by the end of May 2024.

We appreciate your timely response.

Peace,
~Fr. Tim

An Introduction to the Sunday Scriptures - May 19, 2024

“Lord Send Out Your Spirit, And Renew The Face Of The Earth”

On this Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the birthday of our Universal Church. This is the day when, as promised, the Holy Spirit of God descended upon the disciples and gave them the wisdom, the courage, and the tenacity to build Christ’s Church on earth. Pentecost was the harvest festival commemorating the day God gave the Torah to the people of Israel. It was celebrated fifty days after the Passover Feast.

Our first reading (Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11) is the account of Pentecost itself. In a sense, it is the culmination of the journey we began with our Ash Wednesday celebration at the beginning of Lent. While the disciples were gathered for the feast of Pentecost or festival of weeks (Shavuot), suddenly the Advocate descended upon them and enlightened and emboldened them. From that day forward, they would be driven not by fear but by courage and faith. Love for Jesus and for one another would be the medium in which they extended Christ’s Church to the ends of the earth.

In our Epistle reading Galatians 5:16-25, St. Paul teaches us to “live in the Spirit” and that the desires of the Spirit are opposed to the desires of the flesh. Paul lists the works of the flesh: “immorality, impurity, lust”, etc. Paul tells us that “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” In contrast, Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit, ”love, joy, peace,” etc. Those who belong to Christ “have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.”

In our Gospel reading (John 20:19-23) Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into the Apostles and sent them out into the world (to Jew and Gentile alike) to be his peace and to forgive sins. This Sacrament of Reconciliation is Jesus' gift directly to us. Our priests act as direct representatives of Jesus when they hear our confession and give us absolution for our sins.

This Advocate, the Holy Spirit, came just as Jesus had promised. It was an earthshaking event that changed the world. This "Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father and the Son" lives and remains active in our world today. This is our prayer today and always, "Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth."

www.bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051924.cfm

Women Enjoying Rediscovering Our Catholicism - Tuesdays at 9:00 am
Knights of Columbus Membership Drive - Saturday, May 18 at 2 pm
Count It All Joy - Saturday, May 18 at 5:00 pm Mass
Altar Server Training - May 19 and 20
Men's Faith Group - Monday, May 20 at 7 pm
69th Annual Fiesta - May 31 and June 1
The Chosen Season 4 - Thursdays at 12 pm or 7 pm, May 23-June 13
St. Rita Reads...Church Documents - discussions on Tuesdays in June at 6:30 pm

Latest News

St. Rita Business Directory - add your business today!
Liturgical Ministers - schedules and info here
Beware of Scam Requests - if you recently received a text or email from Fr. Tim asking for gift cards or a favor, please be aware that this did not come from Fr. Tim
Vacation Bible School - registration now open!

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3 Minute Retreat - from Loyola Press; take a short prayer break right at your computer by spending some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage
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