Afterthoughts of a Pope's Trip

The visitation by Pope Benedict XVI to the United States two weeks ago was designed to assist us all in our awareness of the Divine in ordinary human life. Let us pray that through the Papal visit people will come to an acute recognition of Divine Providence, that all will be encouraged to zealously fight evil with good, and that we might all be transfixed by the notion that it is in service to others that God is pleased and praised. Let us also hope that for us Catholics, we might see the inactive be seized by the Spirit of God, the minimalists driven to want to be and do more for God, the weary be enlivened with the divine energy, the scandalized receive the spirit of the forgiving Jesus, the bitter experience the sweetness of the Lord, and the harvest be full of new laborers as ordained priestly priests and as professed religious men and women. May Pope Benedict be the Voice of God to America to be both good and great, remembering the words of another European visitor to America many decades ago:

America is great because she is good.

She will stop being great when she stops being good.

One of the chief missions of our church is the Catholic School. Saint Patrick High School is continually progressing even as it stands true to its foundational principles. The School is based on Christ and His teachings.


Another mission of the Church is the Liturgy; the source and summit of the Christian life. Through the Liturgy, we come in constant contact with our Divine Lord. His Voice can be heard to guide us, His Body and Blood can be received to nourish us, His living example can inspire us on how to live out our lives with significance, meaning and purpose. Over the next month, we hope to recruit additional liturgical ministers, including ushers, servers, musicians, etc. With 10 Masses per school year, the potential for the Lord to touch us at liturgy is astounding. Please consider using your gifts to worship the Lord well and to be a channel of grace to the faithful by joining the Liturgy Team of our School. We know that for many students, Saint Patrick High School has become their “parish”.