Our Parish School

Recently I had the pleasure of participating in the Monarch Summit, a presenta- tion on the state of our parish school. Principal Tom Waszak (seen with me in the picture above), along with his assistant principals, gave a clear and impressive ac- count of the great condition of our school. The parents of our students were there to ask insightful questions and take in the information. I am very proud to be the pastor of a parish which has such a fine school. When I visit classrooms, there is always active learning taking place. When I celebrate Mass for our students and teachers, their participation is respectful and inspiring. When students call out to greet me when they see me outside of school, it gives me great joy. And when I interact with the school’s teachers, administrators and staff, I encounter persons with a passion for what they do.

St. Edward the Confessor parish school is an integral part of St. Edward the Confessor parish. Our parishioners, even those who do not have children in our school, are very interested in the school and eager to promote it. The school, for its part, is a big draw for people to participate in the life of our parish. As Thanksgiving Day approach- es, let’s give thanks to God for our parish and our school, and pray that they may continue to flourish together.

Communion of Saints

In the Apostles’ Creed we say, “I believe in...the communion of saints.” In the light of some recent celebrations, it strikes me that you might find an explanation of this phrase to be appropriate. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the communion of saints in paragraphs 946 through 962. In brief, the “communion of saints” means that we are in union with all who are redeemed, whether they are in this world or in the next. By virtue of this unity, we can pray for one another on earth, and we can also pray for those who have died. And those who have died can pray for us.

This has special significance because last Monday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints, which honored all who are in heaven. (Incidentally, since it fell on a Monday this year, it was not a holy day of obligation in the United States.) The saints are our spiritual brothers and sisters; they can pray for us, and they give us good example. Then, on November 2nd we celebrated All Souls’ Day, during which we prayed for those who have died but are still being purified (in purgatory). Our prayers can speed their way to heaven, because we are all united in the communion of saints.

Of course, this also means we can pray and offer sacrifices for one another here on earth. Many times in his letters, St. Paul asks the early Christians to pray for him, and he promises to pray for them. As for me, I promise to pray for you, the good people of the parish entrusted to me, daily. I humbly ask you to pray for me as well.

Gratefully yours,

Our New Deacon

In this photo you see me with our new deacon, Juan Carlos Castro, and his wife, Anita. Juan Carlos was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate by Bishop Vann during a beautiful Mass at Christ Cathedral on Saturday, October 23rd. Along with Deacon Mike Stock and Deacon Victor Samano, Deacon Juan Carlos will be serving our parish in the many ways that deacons can serve: assisting the priest at Mass, preaching, celebrating Baptisms, presiding over Weddings and Funerals when these occur outside of Mass, and in general supporting the spiritual and sacramental life of the parish.

It is a great blessing to have Deacon Juan Carlos in our parish. Last Sunday he assisted and preached at the 10:00 am Mass at San Felipe de Jesús and the 1:00 pm Mass at St. Edward the Confessor. We had a wonderful time congratulating him and showing our appreciation for his dedication to the Church in general and our parish in particular. Although Spanish is his first language, Deacon Juan Carlos and his wife Anita also speak English, and I am eager for you to get to know them as I have.

On an unrelated note, I would like to comment on our Evening of Encounter, which took place on Thursday, October 21st. It was well attended, and it was an awesome experience for all of us. Matt Zemanek (of St. Timothy Parish) gave an outstanding, inspiring talk on our encounter with the love of God through Jesus Christ. We adored the Eucharist; prayer partners prayed with those who wanted individual prayer; Confession was available for those who wanted it. And I must not leave out the beautiful music supplied by Johnny Oskam and other music ministers. We will definitely have such an evening again. In the meantime, if you were present at the Evening of Encounter, I would like to hear from you. Please email me (psmith@stedward.com) with your reaction to the evening.

Gratefully yours,