Dearest God, give me holiness. This was the prayer of our patron, St. John Neumann, who died on the 5th of January 1860. He was 49 years old at the time of his death. Our patron left the comfort of family and homeland (Bohemia) and traveled to the “new world”, hoping to serve as a missionary priest in these United States for all the immigrants arriving from German-speaking countries. He prepared for this pastoral task through a study of the English language and through an intense ascetical prayer life.
On his arrival to our country, he was ordained and served first as a diocesan priest, then as a member of the Redemptorist community. Then, after years of service in pastoral ministry, he was chosen by the Holy Father to serve as Bishop of Philadelphia.
As a young priest and as a young Bishop, St. John Neumann was faced with extraordinary challenges. Though he had no training in management or construction, he was called to build parishes and schools, hoping to meet the needs of the growing Catholic presence in the United States. He faced the challenges at hand, with the strength of humility, trusting that the Lord God would grant him all he needed in the service of God’s beloved.
He studied, he prayed, he depended on God and he did the work put in front of him. This describes the life of our patron, and it describes the wonderful task that lies ahead of each of us! On the feast day of our patron (the 5th), we formally began a project called Building a Legacy of Faith. We will raise the funds we need and we will build what we need, for ourselves and for all those that will follow us. This project will be a legacy to the faith we share with our beloved patron… that with God, all things are possible!
Next weekend, I will speak at most of the weekend Masses, and will discuss the wonderful challenge that lies ahead of our parish. In the coming months, each of you will be invited to meet this challenge with me, by pledging your financial contribution to the project. I have been given the honor of being the first pledge accepted in our Building a Legacy of Faith campaign. I have answered that call and have offered a sacrificial pledge to our future. And this is what it will take from each of us: without decreasing our normal support in the general offertory, you and I must offer a pledge amount that requires a sacrifice. As I mentioned to all on that weekend after my mom’s death, we will build what we need, as each and every parishioner commits to this sacrificial giving. For the three years of this pledge I will need to change my “lifestyle”, knowing that an additional portion of my income is now going to building a legacy of faith at SJN.
Our patron trusted in God, and accomplished the work that was placed in front of him. With great joy and with faith-filled confidence, I tell you that we are to follow his lead, and do get this work done! Join me in trusting in God’s love for this parish. Join me in pledging sacrificially. Join me in loving our faith and our fellowship and the desire to grow in both. We do all of this, for the greater glory of God, and for our own joy!
AMDG
Msgr. David
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|