Pastor’s Note May 24, 2026

Dear Parishioners:

No one person could have predicted the sheer impact and influence that the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit would have on the disciples. Face it, in the aftermath of Jesus’ death and the confusing reports of his appearing again, those earliest followers were looking backward, not forward. Their spirits were down, their hopes deflated, their hearts heavy with guilt and grief. Hence, we find them, as Scripture narrates, huddled behind closed doors and all but ready to pack it in and put this whole chapter of life behind them. Who could have predicted the overwhelming power, the unifying bond, the missionary reverberation of the Holy Spirit on those disciples, on the early Church. This Spirit of the Risen Lord, rushing upon them, had to take them by surprise but at the same time, fill them so joyfully, gracefully, perfectly. What they went on to do, empowered always by the Spirit, could never have been predicted by one person but was, and always is, the mighty work of God carried out time and time again. You and I cannot predict the impact and influence of the Spirit in us, in our midst, moving the hearts of believers in this community. What we can do, what is essential for us as believers, is to open the door of our hearts to this Spirit of the Risen Lord. What we can and indeed must do is stand resolute that this Spirit is present in us and for us so that nothing stays the same— everything of us is handed over to our shared mission to bring Jesus to all.

God’s peace,

Fr. John