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Gratitude for Family

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The Feast day of the Holy Family is one of my favorite days to celebrate. There is just so much to meditate on this day. I find myself enthralled thinking about what the life of the Holy Family was like in that hidden town of Nazareth. I think of my own family and how we can imitate Mary, Joseph, and Jesus more fully each day. This year, I found myself surprised by a new meditation I had not experienced before: gratitude for my spiritual family of St. Dominic.

When I was growing up my family went to Mass at the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee. The beauty of that building continues to inspire my heart to become a majestic dwelling place for God. As commuters however, I never felt at home. My family and I would show up for Mass on Sunday and leave right away, rarely were we there during the week. Because of this, I never felt part of the family of the Basilica community, there were people I connected with for sure, but I was more attached to the building than the people.

From my first days at St. Dominic, I encountered a different experience. Each one of you welcomed me more than with a simple hello, you welcomed me into your family. This has not been my experience only, many new parishioners mention that it is the family atmosphere at St. Dominic which led them to join. I have learned in my  short 2 1/2 years here that St. Dominic is much more than a building, it truly is a family.

It is a family I am most grateful for. In my early years of priesthood you have raised me with love and support and have helped me grow as a priest in all avenues of my life. You have invited me into the joys and sorrows of your life and I have felt each within my own heart. While Brookfield may not be as quiet as Nazareth, you have shown me glimpses of the Holy Family with your joy, faith, hope, perseverance in trial, trust in God, and most felt by myself, love.

On this feast day of the Holy Family, my heart is full of gratitude for you, my family of St. Dominic. You will never know the full impact you have on your priests and I hope you know how much you are loved by Fr. Dennis and myself. Thank you for your imitation of the Holy Family and for filling my heart with joy and thanksgiving to be a part of this incredible community.    

It may sound strange coming from a 29-year-old young man who has only been a priest for under 3 years, (it does to me) but I am proud and humbled to be called father of this family, my family, the family of St. Dominic.

May the Holy Family continue to guide us all to be more like them each and everyday. 

Everything

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Do you remember the first time you stepped into St. Dominic Catholic Parish?  What were you feeling and what was your experience? I recently recalled that moment when I was hired 8+ years ago. Walking into an interview with 13 people around the table and, just weeks later, walking into a parish of over 8,000 members was daunting.  Fr. Dave, the pastor at that time, asked me to memorize everyone from the parish directory! I am still learning names. 

What were my first experiences? I was overwhelmed with the friendliness, kindness, and welcome spirit from so many parish members. There were many memorable “firsts” which will be eternally forged in my memory. It was the spirit of the parish and its faithful members who made me feel at home.  Many of you know my story. However, being single and blessed to serve in a parish with a vibrant school, parish leadership, and staff was easy due to the warmth and love I felt.

I recall my first Dominic Days annual festival, sitting in a row of chairs and finding an amazing family sitting next to me, strangers who I now call my friends. The festival is a wonderful opportunity for our entire parish family to welcome everyone to our festivities. Each one of us is the face and heart of St. Dominic. Even if people come for food, games, music, and fun, this is our opportunity to be the disciple Jesus calls us to be by welcoming the stranger and inviting them to join us at Mass.

In my morning prayer, and throughout the day, I often incorporate music that often speaks the words that my heart cannot verbalize. One of my favorite musicians and vocalists is Lauren Daigle, a woman who loves Jesus and draws us into her relationship with him. One of her many songs, “Everything,” speaks to my heart often. “When I can’t see, you lead me, when I can’t hear, you show me, when I can’t stand, you carry me. When I’m lost, you will find me, when I’m weak, you are mighty, you are everything I need… You give me everything...”

At this special event, I am humbled by the enormous generosity of people dedicating their time and energy, people who give of their heart to serve the parish. It is then when I realize that yes, Jesus, you give me everything, you give us everything. I witness Jesus in our celebration of the Eucharist but also in each one of you. Join me at the festival in being the face of our welcoming parish family and drawing others into our community who receives everything from the God who loves us.

Posted by Mary Lestina

We Belong to One Another

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I recently spent a week at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for some annual checkups I need. And while I had previously been led by the Holy Spirit to use my waiting time (which is a lot) for prayer for those I love, this time the Holy Spirit filled me with a deep urge to pray for the people around me—for all those who had sat or would sit in the chair I was sitting in, for all those who would use that MRI machine today, for all those who would visit that medical building or that gift shop, etc. In that act of praying for those I saw and those I didn’t see, I was filled with a deep sense of unity, of oneness, of participation in something beyond me that extends to the entire human community.

Today is Trinity Sunday, when we celebrate and commemorate our belief in the God who is One God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And while the theological implications of that are many and complicated, the simplest way to understand what it means to believe in the Trinity is to say: we belong to one another. We are not merely individuals existing in the world, but we exist in a system, a community of life and love. Just as I was one person at Mayo that week, I existed in a system of all patients. And as a participant in that system, God called me to share His light and love to those around me through prayer. To carry the burdens of others through prayer. To celebrate their joys through prayer. To walk with them and shelter them through prayer. Even without them knowing.

Just as Jesus is always in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, so too we are always in communion with every other member of the human race. We belong to one another. We are not in this alone. May our celebration of the Trinity today lead us to greater unity with those around us.

 

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