Greetings from aboard the Splendid sailing in the waters of the Croatian Adriatic Sea. I must say that while I have heard it’s beautiful here, it really is beautiful here. After arriving in Zagreb we went to visit the Marian Shrine at Medjugorje in BosniaHerzegovina. It is an interesting place. It is Tuesday afternoon here and we’ve been sailing since Thursday. I’ve been to the birthplace of Marco Polo (well one of them anyway) to a town that celebrates St. Blase as their patron as he saved the town from destruction centuries ago, and to the reputed birth city of St. Jerome. Thursday we disembark and drive through Slovenia to Venice and then to Milan. I will be home Monday night. The weather has been absolutely amazing.
I am grateful for the assistance provided to Father JM and the parish of Fathers Gregg Abadilla, John Butler, Joemar Garboso, Daniel Price and Rick Osborn.
This weekend we begin the celebrations of First Holy Communions. Saturday (4/28) we celebrated with the school students and next weekend with the RE students. However, we have extended to families the option of receiving First Communion at a parish Mass instead. Church documents on the reception of First Communion recommend celebrating on Sunday and ideally we would like to be able to do so with all of our children. If you are at a Mass over the next three weekends and there is a First Communicant it is because the family preferred that as a celebration. There are 134 children from the parish and school communities receiving First Holy Communion this year.
Next weekend (May 5th-6th) we will celebrate the annual May crowning of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a week earlier than usual. It seems more appropriate to celebrate the crowing at the beginning of the month, and it also takes some of the additional pressure off of the Mother’s Day weekend events. We will, hopefully, have the crowning at the outdoor statue in the front of the school.
Pentecost weekend (May 19-20) comes with an entirely new liturgical celebration this year. Although new to us, and to any church I have ever heard of, it is an ancient celebration. We will celebrate the Pentecost Vigil Mass at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, May 19th. This celebration is a vigil, similar to that of the Easter Vigil, but not as elaborate. This means there is no 5:00 p.m. Mass on May 19th, though there will be 4:00 p.m. Confessions. I have never attended this Vigil Mass and I am looking forward to participating with Father JM as he leads us in the Vigil of Pentecost.