Happy Fifth Sunday of Easter!
This past weekend, we celebrated First Holy Communion for thirteen of our youngsters here at St. Robert. And the Sunday before last, I celebrated the same up at Good Shepherd with five students receiving the Sacrament. Tomorrow evening, we’ll welcome our Bishop to West Genesee County for the annual regional Confirmation Mass, this year hosted by Good Shepherd. It’s an exciting time for sacraments these days! In my own family, my oldest nephew recently received Confirmation and my youngest niece her First Communion. Now that we’ve entered the month of May, it truly begins to feel like a mad dash to the finish line. At the school and parish, we turn our attention to events like May Crowning, Pentecost, the end of the school year, Corpus Christi, and VBS.
As you may remember, last year many of our parishes suspended their Corpus Christi processions in favor of the unified diocesan procession in Lansing. At St. Robert, we also paused our annual VBS program last summer, as many of our staff and volunteers were joyfully occupied with their own newborns. I’m happy to share that both of these beloved events will return this summer!
VBS at St. Robert is scheduled for Monday, June 15th through Friday, June 19th. I’m especially excited for this, as it will be my first time experiencing it here. Hannah Marconeri, our Director of Religious Education, will take her final bow after VBS, as she prepares to welcome her second child and transition into full-time motherhood. Hannah was among the first people I met from St. Robert before my arrival, and she has been a tremendous blessing to me and to our parish families. I’m grateful that she plans to remain involved through our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. Beginning July 1st, one of our new school teachers, Ms. Sarah Voight, will step into the role of Director of Religious Education. Congratulations to both of them, and thanks be to God for His many blessings upon our parish.
We have been making great progress toward this year’s DSA goal. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the many families who have already contributed to this important annual appeal. If you have not yet had the opportunity to make your gift, I invite you to consider doing so in the weeks ahead. It is both our joy and our responsibility to support the wider work of healing and evangelization carried out across the Diocese of Lansing. May we continue to respond faithfully to this mission.
Many blessings upon your week, and may you enjoy each day in God’s presence!
Fr. Brian