Después de los días de duelo por el fallecimiento del Papa Juan Pablo II, creo que todos hemos recibido con gratitud a Dios la noticia del Nuevo Santo Padre. El Papa Benedicto XVI trae al papado unos dones bien necesarios en este momento. Aquí hay una porción de su homilía durante el conclave:

“El otro elemento del Evangelio que quería mencionar es el discurso de Jesús sobre llevar fruto: «les he destinado para que vayan y den fruto, y que su fruto permanezca» (Juan 15, 16). Aquí aparece el dinamismo de la existencia del cristiano, del apóstol: os he destinado para que vayáis… Tenemos que estar animados por una santa inquietud: la inquietud de llevar a todos el don de la fe, de la amistad con Cristo. En verdad, el amor, la amistad de Dios, nos ha sido dado para que llegue también a los demás.

”Hemos recibido la fe para entregarla a los demás, somos sacerdotes para servir a los demás. Y tenemos que llevar un fruto que permanezca. Pero, ¿qué queda? El dinero no se queda. Los edificios tampoco se quedan, ni los libros. Después de un cierto tiempo, más o menos largo, todo esto desaparece. Lo único que permanece eternamente es el alma humana, el hombre creado por Dios para la eternidad. El fruto que queda, por tanto, es el que hemos sembrado en las almas humanas, el amor, el conocimiento; el gesto capaz de tocar el corazón; la palabra que abre el alma a la alegría del Señor. Entonces, vayamos y pidamos al Señor que nos ayude a llevar fruto, un fruto que permanezca. Sólo así la tierra se transforma de valle de lágrimas en jardín de Dios.”

Este fin de semana nos unimos con la Iglesia por medio de la Petición Anual. Pido su colaboración para el bien de nuestra Arquidiócesis y de nuestra parroquia. Necesitamos la respuesta de todos. Aun si alguien no puede contribuir en este momento, te pido llenar un sobre indicando tus oraciones. Así no enviaremos otra carta. Tenemos una meta de $57,459 para ayudar al obispo con los diferentes ministerios de la arquidiócesis (hospitales, prisiones, escuelas, educación religiosa, sacramentos, seminaristas, sacerdotes y hermanas jubilados, etc.). Todo lo que recibimos mas allá de esta meta será usado aquí en la parroquia para proveer mejor iluminación de los estacionamientos y edificios para que estén más seguros. Pido el apoyo y colaboración de todos. Many people commented on how much they appreciated the presentation last Sunday by Arabella Corcoro. Besides being a beautiful personal testimony, she gave excellent information about the Annual Catholic Appeal. I thank those who returned their pledges last Sunday. And thank you to Arabella, her husband Alex, and their children, Bill and Monica, for sharing their faith with us last weekend.

Coming on the heels of our parish Capital Campaign, the ACA is a particular challenge this year. I believe that with your prayers and support we can reach our Archdiocesan goal ($57,459) and even exceed it. All money raised over our goal will be used to improve the illumination and security of our parish buildings and parking area. This is a need not directly covered by the Capital Campaign, but one which all of us can appreciate.

You will have noticed that the Capital Campaign has already born good results: the new roofs for the church and school, the repairs of the church rest rooms, as well as the showers and rest rooms in the Ailbe House. Most recently we have undertaken a small project to make our grounds more attractive. It involves removing some sections of asphalt, creating green area for some plants. This is being accomplished mainly by volunteers, including several of the classes at our parish school. Our children seem enthused about being involved in this beautification effort. The major part of our Capital Campaign should take place over the summer: the renovation of the ground level of the school.

I want to thank our Vietnamese members for the delicious Pho soup and chicken curry after all the Masses last Sunday. This is part of their effort to raise funds for the Capital Campaign.

Last week I enjoyed looking at the pictures from my niece’s wedding. Here is one of Sara and Julius with Fr. Daniel Syverstad, O.P., pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish. It was a great joy for me to celebrate Julius and Sara’s wedding, together with Fr. Dan and five other priests. Some of you know that Fr. Dan is a graduate of Holy Family School. He will be with us this coming Friday for our 8:30 a.m. May Crowning Mass.

Fr. Ramon and I will be offering a novena of Masses for our deceased mothers – and for all the moms of Holy Family Parish, living and deceased. We do still have some novena Mass cards in the office if you wish to obtain one for a favorite mom.

What a blessing is our new Holy Father! He seems like just the man our Church – and world – needs at this moment. In his first Masses and audiences, Pope Benedict has given us much food for thought. Following is a selection from his homily last Sunday:

“Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary. There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.”