Dear Friends in Christ,
On Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. The presence of the Holy Spirit gave them courage and strength to: Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) How does the presence of the Holy Spirit inspire us as disciples?
On Saturday, May 26, Bishop Noonan ordained three men to the Priesthood for our Diocese of Orlando. Thank you for praying for the newly ordained and for all who are discerning a vocation to Priesthood and Religious Life. This summer we will continue to host Matthew Hawkins and Adam Marchese. We rejoice with them as they have both been officially accepted to study as Seminarians for the Diocese of Orlando and will commence their studies in August at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami.
We also had an overwhelming response to the sign-up for the Vocation Blessing Cup. Over 250 families have agreed to host the cup in their home for one week. In order to accommodate this interest we will have four cups circulating around the homes of our parish during the summer time and two cups the rest of the year. During the academic year, one cup will visit each of the classrooms at our parish school, Annunciation Catholic Academy, and one cup will visit each of the Faith Formation for Children and Youth classrooms. Around this time of year many Priests celebrate the anniversary of their Ordination, so I thought I would provide these dates for the Priests that serve our parish community:
Fr. Stephen Parkes May 23, 1998
Fr. Bill Gohring May 26, 1984
Fr. Mark Wajda May 31, 2008
Fr. Steve Baumann June 6, 1992
Monsignor Caverly June 10, 1961
Thank you always for your prayers and support! Know that we will remember you, your loved ones, and your intentions in our prayers. May we meet each day in our prayers!
In Christ,
Very Rev. Stephen D. Parkes, V.F.
Pastor