Happy to be your Pastor!
Dear Parishioners,
It is with great joy that I announce that Archbishop Hebda will be installing me as your official Pastor here at Holy Trinity Parish. We have been through many good and challenging times, but now that COVID -19 is over and we are fully engaged with the Synodal Process that began in 2021, I know that we will continue to do God’s good work with the help of Christ’s grace, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the cooperation of those redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
In the first phase of the Archdiocese wide Synod, when I was the Parochial Administrator, we had many opportunities for people to meet in small groups. At the end of that time about 12 of us met and helped discern what our parish goals would be in line with the Archdiocese vision of building up our family of faith.
The three goals of ministry we discerned through much prayer and conversation were these:
1) Grow a robust family and youth ministry program.
a. We enhanced our Faith Formation program.
b. We had excellent participation of 14 couples for “Marriage in Christ” program, and 19 people for “The Temperament that God Gave You” and will implement the CANA Family Institute program this fall.
c. We had a successful “Mardi Gras” Fundraising event by which we raised over $4,000.00 with the time, talent and treasure of many in our parish community and larger community.
d. We had another successful Confirmation re-treat in which parents and confirmation spon-sors participated for part of the retreat, and had opportunities to go to confession before the celebration of that great sacrament with a pizza party and prayer time on Friday night before the Saturday Confirmation Mass.
2) Build community life among our three churches.
a. We have added new members to our Parish Finance Council.
b. We had a special Mass for the Sacred Heart of Jesus with a potluck afterward.
c. We honored our elderly parishioners at our Parish Picnic*.
*This year we will celebrate my installation with Archbishop Hebda presiding at the 10:30 AM Mass at St. Columbkill and then have our parish picnic.
Thanks to all those who are making this a joyful occasion.
3) Reclaiming Sunday for faith and family.
a. We have trained new altar servers, readers and cantors, especially among the young adult group and youth.
There is still plenty of good work that the Lord Jesus is calling us to accomplish, and we are reminded in today’s Gospel that God is the one who sows the seed of his divine word, and we are to be like “rich soil” so that we might produce fruit, “a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315-387, Bishop and Doc-tor of the Church) wrote in his catechetical instruction about preparing for baptism and the reception of the other sacred sacraments of the Lord:
“If there is any slave of sin here present, he should at once prepare himself through faith for the rebirth into freedom that makes us God’s adopted children. He should lay aside the wretchedness of slavery to sin, and put on the joyful slavery of the Lord, so as to be counted worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven…. Through faith receive the pledge of the Holy Spirit, so that you may be welcomed into the everlasting dwelling places…
“Wash yourself clean, so that you may hold a richer store of grace. Sins are forgiven equally for all, but communion of the Holy Spirit is given in the measure of each one’s faith. If you have done little work, you will receive little; if you have achieved a great deal, great will be your reward…
“If you have a grudge against anyone, forgive him. You are drawing near to receive forgiveness for your own sins; you must forgive those who have sinned against you.”
Jesus Christ continues to sow his divine seed, his holy word among us, that we might produce 30, or 60, or 100% of our spiritual potential, individually, as a family, and as a community! I am happy and excited to be your Pastor in order to walk with you on this journey of growing in the divine virtues of faith, hope and love, that we might have a very high place in heaven for all ETERNITY!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Thomas McCabe, Pastor