My Dear Parishioners,

It is hard to believe that another school year has passed. It feels like things are getting back to normal. Now we are entering the graduation season. I would like to congratulate all of our graduates from Kindergarten, Grade School, Middle School, High School, College, and from Post-College studies wherever they attended school. These are significant milestones and as a parish family we join in celebrating your accomplishments. We are fortunate that as Catholics we can mark these milestones with prayers and especially Mass. If you have a graduate in your family, and would like to recognize them in our parish community, may I suggest that you come to our Sunday Mass and indicate to our ushers that you are celebrating a graduation and would like to bring up the offertory gifts. With the revised regulations from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, we are now permitted to have an offertory procession. It is a great way to honor the graduate and bring the family together for Mass. Unfortunately we can only have one family per Mass bring up the gifts, so it will have to be on a first come basis.

I wish to thank Mrs. Debbie Jaster and all the teachers, staff, and volunteers at St. Joseph/St. Robert school who worked extra hard to make our school children’s experience as normal as possible in a difficult circumstance. We are so grateful for the blessing they are to our community and to our children. Our superior principal, faculty and staff at St. Joseph/St. Robert School have done an excellent job this year and their hard work and dedication have shown through in many ways. We pray for Mrs. Jaster as she retires for a second time and all of our teachers, staff and aides that they might get their well-deserved rest and return to us next fall refreshed and ready to do the good work of forming our young people in Jesus Christ. Thanks also to all the assistants and volunteers; we could not run such a fine program without the help of active and involved parents. Your devotion to your children is admirable.

This weekend we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The word Pentecost comes from the word for 50. It is fifty days since we celebrated our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. Now we celebrate that the promised advocate or Holy Spirit comes to us to reveal God to us, and to assist us in drawing closer to God. We need to learn to call upon and even depend more on the Holy Spirit. This is also the closing of the Easter season. After Pentecost we remove the Paschal candle from its prominent place in the sanctuary and return it to the Baptism font. The Liturgical season that we will move into is called Ordinary Time and it allows us to reflect on the mysteries of Jesus’ daily life and public ministry. Our stained glass window that depicts the descent of the Holy Spirit is such a beautiful piece of art, please take some time to enjoy and appreciate it. One of the things that I admire about it is that the tongues of fire are very subtle. They are not overpowering.

Sometimes we act as if the Holy Spirit just overtakes us and we lose control of ourselves, but in this artwork, it implies that the Spirit is a guiding force, a light illuminating our way. It still requires that we accept and consent to the Spirit’s lead. God will never force us to choose Him, but He does give us graces to help us choose Him.

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. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

God Bless You!
Fr. Bordonaro

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