This week we moved into the “Ordinary Time” of the Church liturgical calendar, and we only have a few weeks to settle into the routine of the new year before entering into the Lenten journey on February 14.
Today’s scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time are some of my favorite bible passages. In the first reading Samuel keeps confusing God’s voice as Eli, his master’s voice. Even Eli is confused but soon Eli tutors Samuel to listen to the voice of God and say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” At the root of this passage is Samuel’s desire to hear the Lord speak and do his will. We are called to follow suit but there are so many distractions and temptations to otherwise.
This year, as we step into 2024, we are called to hear the voice of God and to guide us in our faith journey inspiring us to embrace and follow the teachings of Christ. If we made New Year’s resolutions, I hope you have made a few in line with gospel values and to be a better person by the end of 2024.
One way I suggested last week was to become a person of deep faith and learning is to listen to Jesus in our hearts through prayer. We will be putting on more opportunities to learn how to quieten our hearts and listen to God’s voice in our daily lives in the weeks ahead with retreat nights on the Tuesdays prior to Lent and then on March 3-5 we will have a parish retreat given by Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ. So please save the dates.
Another way was to open our hearts to the disenfranchised or those who do not feel welcome. The pastoral council has put forth a goal of welcoming our youth and young adults, the divorced and remarried and the LBGTQ+ community. We are seeking people to help in reaching out to all these groups and learn from them what their needs are and to better understand their hopes. If you are interested in serving in any of these areas, please email me or reach out to Clare D’Agostino email: cdagostino@stsimon.org.
Last week we took a giant step towards meeting the needs of the youth with the opening of the Youth Center. Now we need your help in reaching the youth and welcoming them into the Center and into our parish, making sure they feel this is their home and they know we need them in our community. We wish to express our profound gratitude to you, the St. Simon community for the opening of our new Youth Center. This center stands as a testament to our dedication to nurturing the spiritual growth of our young members. So many worked tirelessly to make this dream a reality and most especially Victor Ramirez, Facilities Manager for managing the construction with the support of the Facilities Committee and Michael Boenninghausen. Thank you to Joan Mibach for her vision and passion in helping us to stay focused on finishing the project and a special thanks to the talented architects, John Miller, and Stephanie Hamilton. Over the past ten years, there have been many parish members involved and I am deeply grateful to them and the current members of the Pastoral Council – Don McGovern, Dave White, Barbara Mellin, Penny Osorio, Scott Leaver, Melissa Moody, Kalena Moreira, Fr. Chris, and Fr. Thuc. I’d also like to thank the Pastoral Staff along with the many volunteers who helped us put on Open House and the blessing and ribbon cutting celebration – Clare D’Agostino and the Donut Sunday team, Donna Mohammadi, Rachel Haydon, Karen Moreira and the team of students and parents who helped set-up and clean-up. It truly takes a village to put on a weekend event like this and I am truly grateful. It was a fantastic weekend of community celebrating the youth with all generations participating!
In her opening speech, our Youth Minister, Kalena emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our youth. She spoke of their eagerness to explore their faith, connect with peers, and seek guidance. As she said on Sunday, “our greatest gift lies not in the bricks we lay, but in the lives we touch” What she said was beautiful and I encourage you to read all of her address here. We need to be a light to our young people, and we need to help Kalena “weave a tapestry of love, faith, and resilience.” We are blessed to have her on staff.
Having said that, it will take more than one person to get our youth back to our community. It is our duty as a parish to heed this call, to be mentors, and to extend a hand of friendship and guidance to the younger members of our community. Our youth are not just the future of our parish but an integral part of our present, and we must nurture their spiritual journeys.
This weekend, we officially open the pilgrimage trip sign up. You can view the brochure here. Registration link is here. If you have questions, email here. We will be walking in the footsteps of Saint Paul in Greece and Turkey this coming September 20—October 1, 2024. A pilgrimage is different from going on vacation; it is a spiritual journey. When we embark on a pilgrimage, we open our hearts to transformation. We journey with purpose and intention, seeking a deeper connection with God and a renewal of our faith. I hope you consider coming on pilgrimage this year. Pilgrimages provide us with the opportunity to step out of our comfort zones, just as Saint Paul did, and grow in our faith. We leave as one person and return as another, carrying the spiritual riches and insights gained from our pilgrimage.
In 2024, may we all aspire to be different, to be better versions of ourselves, and to grow in our faith through such meaningful experiences.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan
Youth Center Opening Address by Kalena Moreira, Youth Minister here
Pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey, “In the footsteps of Paul” Registration here