From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners:

Every year during Lent, we have two or three feasts when Father wears white vestments instead of the Lenten violet vestments for the celebration of Mass.  On February 22nd, we celebrated the Feast of the Chair of Peter, when the Church gives thanks to God for the shepherding of St. Peter and of his successors.  As we know, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Father is empowered and enabled to teach the truth on matters of faith and morals.  He cannot err when he speaks on these matters. This is a great gift to the Church’s members. We know that we can cling to the rock of truth even when other messages are being cast about in the cacophony of the society in which we live.  The two other white vestment days are the solemnities are St. Joseph (March 19th) and the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25th).  

It seems right and just that these three feasts are highlighted during Lent.  Through Mary’s yes to the Lord through the angel, Mary made it possible for Our Savior to be born among us.  Mary gave herself to being Jesus’s Mother, raised Jesus and accompanied Him to the cross. As he hung dying on the cross, Jesus gave Mary over to the care of the apostle John.  It was made clear that she was to be not only the Mother of God, but also the Mother of the Church.  For all these reasons, we honor Mary in a special way on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.  Likewise, we honor St. Joseph this coming Friday (March 19th), because he trustingly took Mary to be his wife and was a kind, generous and upright father to Jesus.  St. Joseph is an excellent model of holiness to all men, and especially to husbands and fathers.  In his Apostolic Letter “Patris Corde” (With a Father’s Heart) Pope Francis designated this year the “Year of St. Joseph”.  I hope to unpack the Holy Father’s letter in upcoming articles. 

We give thanks to God for our patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary, for St. Joseph and for the gift of the papacy.  And we pray that through the intercession of Saints Mary, Joseph and Peter that we may grow greater holiness this Lent.

In Christ Jesus,

Father Berg