Happy Feast of the Ascension! We celebrate that on the Sunday before Pentecost. It’s hard to believe that we are coming up on the end of our Easter season. I hope this Easter time has been a time of blessing for you and a time where you have grown in faith and hope. Even as the Easter season ends, our job as followers of Jesus is to continue to share our faith and hope in the risen Jesus by our words and deeds. As we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord, let us remember that Jesus is with us and let us take this week to prepare to celebrate the gift of the Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. Just as the Spirit descended upon the disciples, so He comes into our hearts and dwells in us always. We pray that the Spirit of God would animate us to follow Jesus’ way more fully.
As the school year begins to wind down, we welcome home our college students and I hope they know how welcome they are here at St. Francis Borgia. This week our Borgia High School will celebrate Baccalaureate and Graduation ceremonies. Our Grade School will celebrate Graduation on the evening of May 24th and the last day for the rest of the school will be on May 25th. What an exciting time for our students as they prepare for what will hopefully be a summer with some sense of normal fun, and as they transition into the next phase of their lives. Let’s pray for them and for all who are preparing for the next step - be that a new grade level, a new school, or a new career.
If you haven’t already done so, please return your Annual Catholic Appeal pledge card. You may call the Parish office if you need it sent to you. The ACA helps so many people, including many in our own area. In fact, Borgia High School and St. Francis Borgia Parish have received grants from the ACA this past year (and for years before this one) to help with various projects, including $40,000 for the installation of air conditioning in our gym. If you’ve never given, please consider even a small donation. If you’ve given before, please consider giving again. Your gift, no matter the size, will be combined with many other gifts to make a real impact on people throughout the Archdiocese. Fr. Tony and I contribute to the Appeal and invite you to join us in helping our local Church here in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, including in Washington!
Have a great and blessed week. I hope to see you soon.