From Our Pastor: The Lord God Makes All Things New And Brings New Life Where There Is None
The Lord God makes all things new and brings new life where there is none.
This weekend‘s readings make abundantly clear that God will restore the dead and the desolate and make mighty the meek and the lowly. He gives great abundance in how He throws about his grace much like seed is thrown.
The only complicating factor of this is that no farmer would just randomly throw seed. A farmer plants meticulously to get the greatest crop. This weekend‘s readings are an anomaly saying that God acts very differently from us. He gives abundance not for the good that we have done, but instead for the good that He is.
It is just up to us to accept that abundance and use it for his good and not our own. May we be the good soil in which the seed lands and grows and roots well in the Lord, so that not only do we bear fruit, but that we also give shade and rest to those in need.
May we find shade and rest and great fruit in the gift of the Church. May we find life and abundance and God’s outpouring through the sacraments.
Thank you to those who made the picnic such an amazing event. We had a wonderful turnout and the energy was just exciting. I had a blast and so did my parents. Thank you to the committee for making this such a success and all those who volunteered.
Happy Father’s Day to all men who are fathers and those who are fatherly in so many ways in our lives. I am so grateful for my own father and all that he has taught me, especially about faith.
We need strong fathers in our families that focus on faith first in all that we do and all that we are. So blessings to each of you today.
One last piece of good news, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki has asked us to take a second parochial vicar here at St. Francis Solanus. It’s an honor and privilege to have two assistants in our parish.
His name is Father Kenneth Ahanonu. He is a young priest and is 12 years ordained for the Diocese of Nnewi, Nigeria. Nigeria is a republic country in West Africa in which the official language is English, although with a more British flare than we are accustomed.
Fr. Kenneth Ahanonu just finished his doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome. Brush up on your Kierkegaard if you’re desiring to read his dissertation or debate him. What a true blessing this is.
Fr. Kenneth Ahanonu is currently working on his immigration work to come here to serve. Please pray that is smooth and quick. His appointment letter in the Catholic Times will say he begins July 1, which is necessary for his immigration status to move forward.
He most likely will not arrive on July 1, but will be here as soon as it is possible. There is always a possibility of hiccups or denial. So, please again pray for this process working with the federal government in this matter.
We are very excited for this opportunity and blessing for our parish. Please pray for and help me welcome both Fr. Kenneth Ahanonu and Fr. Bruce Scott. How exciting! As I know more I will keep you posted.
- Rev. Steven Arisman