St. Joseph of the Lakes

Happy Mother’s Day!                                                                                                     

Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms! We thank God for the gift of life given to us through our mothers. May God bless them on this special day and always!

May is also the month of Mary dedicated to the Mother of us all in in Christ. This is a good month to start up Marian prayers in our families if we are not doing so already. Below is the Memorare prayer. Pray it as a family during this month and commit it to memory.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer them. Amen.

Good Shepherd Sunday! The Roman Pontiff                                                   

This weekend we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday-always the 4^th Sunday of Easter in which the Gospel reading focuses on Jesus the Good Shepherd. I write this before the Conclave, so I don’t know who our next good shepherd will be, and as you read this perhaps a new Holy Father has been discerned, with perfect timing to celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday this year! 

Another title for the Pope is the Roman Pontiff. This indicates that he presides as the bishop of Rome serving as a “bridge” to others throughout the world. The word pontiff comes from the Latin “pont” which means bridge”. The Pope is meant to be a kind of bridge to the rest of the world, keeping us as the church connected to one another in Christ. This is incredibly important today as the Pope seeks bridges with other Christian and civil leaders throughout the world, as well as keeping the Catholic Church in so many nations of the world united in common faith, leadership, and direction. It’s an impossible job for sure, but a most important one! None of us can imagine the magnitude of this call. Let us all pray for our Roman Pontiff, our Good Shepherd here on earth, and may we seek to faithfully listen to the voice of Jesus through him.

Happy Good Shepherd Sunday! Happy Mother’s Day!

Fr. Deziel