From Apricots to Souls: Growing Faith in Grateful Soil
What a grace-filled week it has been! As we concluded our celebration of 70 years as a parish and nearly 65 years as a school, my heart overflows with gratitude for the generations who have tilled, planted, and nurtured this community of faith. Throughout our anniversary week, I was deeply moved by the faces, the stories, and the prayers of so many – each one a living witness to the grace that has made St. Simon such sacred ground.
In my homily at our Anniversary Mass on Tuesday evening, I shared how I had recently walked through a nearby neighborhood where someone was tilling their front yard. The scent of freshly turned earth brought me back to our roots—literally. This land once grew apricots, nourished by rich soil. Today, that same ground grows something far more lasting: souls.
We may no longer be apricot-growing soil, but we have become soul-growing soil—a place where faith takes root, where children are formed, where hearts are healed, and where generations discover anew the love of God that never dies. Every act of kindness, every word of faith, every sacrifice of service becomes a seed of eternity sown into this sacred ground.
This weekend, as we celebrate the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, we stand on holy soil indeed. We remember with tenderness those who have gone before us—our parents, teachers, priests, sisters, neighbors, and friends—who once sat in these pews, walked these halls, and prayed these same prayers. They are the ones who tilled and planted the faith that we now inherit. As the Gospel reminds us, “This is the will of the Father, that I should lose nothing of what he gave me, but raise it up on the last day.”
To believe in eternal life is to live joyfully in the present. Every gesture of love here becomes a reflection of what we believe awaits us beyond this life. What we do here—how we serve, how we love—is an expression of our faith in the afterlife. Joy is not simply our destination; it is the very soil in which heaven begins to grow.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the parishioners who volunteered their time and talent along with my staff, who have worked tirelessly over these last months to make our 70th anniversary such a beautiful success, from the School Mass and the fun Alumni Reunion party to our parish retreat and concert with Sarah Hart and concluding with our beautiful Anniversary Mass and joyful reception. Thank you to the many volunteers who served, the quiet saints among us, who gave countless hours to every detail of our celebrations. You have embodied what it means to be “builders of the Kingdom,” and I am so proud to serve alongside you.
May those who receive this parish seventy years from now be as grateful as we are today for those who built it with courage, generosity, and faith. May we continue to work hard and sacrifice well for a bold vision for the future—a vision rooted in gratitude, growing in faith, and blossoming into joy. You can watch the celebrations on our Youtube Channel. 70th Parish Anniversary Mass and Parish Retreat & Concert Playlist and 65th School Anniversary Mass. If you would like to send us a message with your favorite memory of the past or what you enjoyed this past weekend, please email your message here.
And so, I close with the blessing I shared at our anniversary Mass:
A Blessing for the Light We Carry Forward
May the memory of these holy years
rest gently upon us:
seventy seasons of prayer,
sixty-five of teaching hearts to hope.
May their roots steady us now
as we lean into the winds of tomorrow.
May we walk humbly,
knowing that grace is gift, not possession,
and that faith is not a badge,
but a way of seeing,
a way of serving when no one applauds.
May our hearts stay tender
to the cries of the poor,
not from pity,
but from the deep knowing
that we are kin—
all children of one God
who weaves us in His own image.
May we be brave in love,
bold in compassion,
and tireless in building
a future radiant with hope.
Let our hands become lanterns,
our words seeds of peace,
our parish a hearth of light
for the whole world to see.
And when our own years fall silent,
may others rise upon the prayers
we leave behind—
carrying forward this light,
not as a monument to what was,
but as a living fire ablaze
of what still can be.
Amen.
God bless,
Fr. Brendan