From the Pastor of St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church

Wednesday afternoon Hello! Moving on… Our eighth graders graduated this week so they are moving on to the next stage of their academic career. We congratulate them for their accomplishments and wish them all the best as they move on to the different high schools in the area. We also hope they will stay in touch with each other over the years too, either in our Confirmation program or other various youth events.  Moving on can be both the best and hardest event we experience. While we might like the fact that we have accomplished something challenging, like school, we can also look forward to an unexpected future. While we might miss the friends we have already made, we can anticipate new relationships as well. God designed us to appreciate both a familiar past and a new and exciting future, but “moving on” is not the same as moving forward. Change must be for the better. It is far more satisfying if we actually advance in our life.  The Gospel today invites us to look at those events that keep us from moving forward. The woman in the Gospel had been stalled in her life by a series of sinful events and she came to Jesus for help. She received the healing she needed and now she was free to move forward. There is no greater gift we can receive from the Lord! Everything good happens when we meet Jesus. Two months ago, the Archdiocese reminded us that Fr. Alex’s three-year term at St. Paschal would expire this July and that he would be moving on to a new parish. This was very sad news because so many people have met Jesus in a profound way by his ministry. The normal process is that Fr. Alex would interview with prospective new Pastors and I would interview with possible new Associates. Having each obediently completed these interviews over the last few weeks, we both asked the Cardinal for an extension of Fr. Alex’s assignment here.  As of this last Wednesday afternoon, we are still waiting the Cardinal’s decision on whether Fr. Alex will be able to “move on” to the next stage of his assignment here at St. Paschal. We hope to hear by this Father’s Day weekend. The joy of every father is to see his family flourish and move forward in life. Today we give thanks for all fathers in families. We pray they continue to receive the grace they need to help their families in every way. We also pray for our new Faith & Family Ministry that we introduce at this Mass, and its Director, Rhett Young. There is more information on this new program in today’s bulletin. We pray that this ministry will support all families in our parish—to be that place where everyone can move forward with courage, love, and peace. We pray that our parish and all our families will always grow in the wisdom and love of God. God bless! Daveheney@stpaschal.org