Weekly Letter: June 8, 2025 Bulletin

Dear friends in Christ,

     This is my penultimate letter to you as pastor of Christ the Redeemer. (I tell you that mainly so I can use one of my all-time favorite words. Other than “juxtaposition,” there are few other words in the English language that brings as big a smile to my face as when I write “penultimate.”) I’ll write one final letter next week, but after that, I’m going to turn it over to the staff for the final two weeks of the month before Fr. Mark Hebert arrives as pastor in July. I’ll defer to his wishes as to what he wants to do in terms of parish communications.

     As my background was in journalism before I entered the seminary and became a priest, I’ve always enjoyed writing my weekly letters to the community, and I hope you have found them informative about events and life at the parish, and hopefully even spiritually fulfilling in some cases as we reflect on the Gospel for the week. On those occasions where I regale you with things like my favorite word, perhaps they’ve even brought a smile to your face. Regardless, I assure you that it has all been the truth, and the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!

     In my 21 years as pastor we’ve witnessed quite a change in terms of parish communications. It used to be that the bulletin was the primary – and in some regards, the only – form of how news and information was disseminated. These days, the written word in the bulletin is further down the list on how we communicate. We print far fewer copies of the weekly bulletin these days, and fewer people pick it up each weekend than in the past. Electronic communication has taken over, and our Flocknote messaging system which you can receive as a text to your phone or in an email, is quite robust with more than 10,000 subscribers. You can actually read the bulletin online a few days before you can read it in print. Add to that our active social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram with multiple posts daily, our robust YouTube channel with all manner of videos, and our Come As You Are podcast, of which I’m going to be a guest soon, and a whole new world of communication has opened up to us all.

     Through all those changes and developments, however, the message remains the same, and that’s because Jesus Christ is eternal. He IS the message. Everything else serves to merely amplify his holy name, and all our communication leads to helping spread the message of his love far and wide. However it is that you receive and digest the communication, I pray that over the years it has helped you grow in your knowledge and love of Christ and to encounter him here at our parish. Thanks for joining me in this space and reading my words. I appreciate it!

     O.K., enough of the retrospective. We’ve got the message of Christ to proclaim! On the Feast of Pentecost this weekend we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus on a day that has come to be known as the “birthday of the Church.” Gathered together in Jerusalem, the followers of Jesus, those of every race and tongue, soon discovered themselves to all be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” It was a microcosm of what the Church would become: faithful believers in the saving work of Jesus Christ who are empowered by the Spirit to go and spread the Good News.

     That work continues today, my friends. We, too, come from different backgrounds and ways of life but yet we are united by the Spirit of God to build up the Body of Christ in all we say and do. The means of communication have evolved since the day of Pentecost, but as I said, the message remains the same!

    Pentecost is also the close of the 50 days of Easter. For the past 90 days – 40 days of Lent and now 50 days of Easter – we have walked with the Lord. We were marked with ashes, shouted “crucify him” on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, waited at the empty tomb, rejoiced in the resurrection, and witnessed his ascension. What a journey these days have been for us spiritually. I love how the rhythm of the Church’s liturgical seasons helps frame our lives. Now, emboldened by the Spirit at Pentecost, we resolve to go forth to live as “intentional disciples!”

     In other news, with summer upon us, camp season is moving into high gear. We welcomed a group of about 30 middle school students this past week for a camp dedicated just for them, and later in the month our high school teens will set off for other adventures. See ctrcc.com/summer for all the details about how your children can be part of it.

     For the young crowd, our annual Catholic Faith Camp is taking place. We look forward to welcoming more than 100 kids and about 90 adult and teen volunteers in the Parish Life Center throughout the week, and while we are filled at the moment, we do have a waiting list in case any spots become available. My extra special thanks go to Adilene Huff from our Religious Education staff who oversees CFC. She is more than capably assisted by a dedicated team of volunteers including, Angela Borges and Arlene Sandoval. The Ladies Auxiliary also are providing some much-needed help. Thanks to all who volunteer their time and talent. CFC is truly stewardship in action. Two weeks later our annual Vacation Bible School takes place June 23-27, and though we are already at capacity for it as well, we do have a waiting list open. See ctrcc.com/vbs for information.

Peace, Fr. Sean