Happy Twenty-Sixth Sunday! Last weekend we celebrated our patronal feast day, and on Saturday evening after Mass, about 250 of us filled the Activity Center to honor our beloved St. Robert by chowing down on smoked meat delicacies such as pulled pork, brisket, tenderloin, chicken, turkey, sausage, and even meatloaf! A small army of volunteers provided side dishes and dessert, served up food and drink, or otherwise moved tables and chairs and decorated. I was thrilled to see such a great turnout, and I am so very grateful to everyone who lent a helping hand.
I mentioned to the Saturday Mass crowd that my absolute favorite part about being a pastor, both at St. Robert and Good Shepherd, is celebrating the weekly Sunday Mass together and sharing that blessed brief moment with each person giving and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. The humility and faith that draw you forward to the steps of the sanctuary truly edify my faith and build me up. I love worshiping together in the holy liturgy, and I pray that our faith family continues to grow.
This upcoming week, Fr. Christian and I will be on our annual priest convocation with much of the presbyterate of the Diocese of Lansing. Please pray for all your priests!
This year’s event takes us back to Frankenmuth, which is a fan favorite among the brothers. But I guess the local cuisine is hard to argue with (haha!). Being on convocation reminds me that our diocese is highly blessed by the Lord, because so many good men have followed the Lord’s call in the vocation of spiritual fatherhood.
Speaking of which, we will return from convocation with our yearly supply of vocations posters. We display these posters at various locations around the church and school, and they highlight the young men and women of our diocese who are discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life. And I’m happy to say that if you peruse this year’s lineup, you will notice that St. Robert is officially in the ballgame now. A son of the parish, Benjamin Butcher, has entered his first year of formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. Let’s go, St. Robert!
Fr. Christian and I meant to officially introduce him to everyone at the weekend Masses before he departed in August. But then, classic, we are menfolk, and we forgot what calendars are. We misjudged our timing by a week, and he’d already left. So anyway, we will find a time to put him in front of everyone and show his face so you know he’s real. In the meantime, please pray for Benjamin and for his discernment of the Lord’s goodwill. It’s a gift to make that journey of faith, whichever way it ultimately leads, either to the altar as a priest one day or to the altar as a bridegroom. May God be praised in all His designs for our lives.
From Fr. Brian