Pentecost, the birthday of the Church

A glorious and happy feast day to all of you Holy Spirit parishioners on this day of Pentecost! This is our parish feast since it is the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Blessed Mother and the Apostles. It is the birthday of the Church and the birthday of our parish, named in honor of the Holy Spirit. May our patron, the Holy Spirit, fill your minds and hearts with the love of God and the peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

The Blessed Sacrament continues to be exposed in the lower level of St. Joseph the Worker site  so that you might adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament on Sundays through Fridays from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Now you also have access to St. Vincent de Paul site for personal private prayer before our Lord in the  tabernacle from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm seven days a week.

On May 19, the pastoral staff met in the morning and the Pastoral and Finance Councils met in the evening to review the guidelines for our re-opening set forth by Bishop Zubik. In light of these guidelines, we are planning for public Masses beginning on the weekend of June 6 and 7. Please be patient and   cooperative as we begin this arduous process of the public celebration of the sacraments. Due to the coronavirus restrictions and precautions, our Mass schedule will be unique and limited. But it is a beginning and a move in the right direction. Currently, we are working on all the details to ensure that our celebration of the Holy Eucharist will be safe and reverent. Since this is a dynamic process, and things change on a daily basis, please consult our website, Flocknotes,   bulletin, YouTube and Facebook sites for the most current updates and developments. As soon as information is available, it will appear on our website and these other media outlets. Our friends at the New Castle News have also been very gracious in providing information regarding developments in our parish. I am very grateful for their coverage and for the assistance they provide in helping us keep all of you and the wider community informed.

The Diocese requested we establish a COVID 19 Safety Team. I am grateful to the following team members who have accepted this responsibility on our behalf: Dr. Sheila Burick (medical doctor), Dr. Joseph Ross (dentist), Marla Brown (Pastoral Council member), Rose Butch (parish staff), Jean Pascale (parish facilitator), and Father Brendan Dawson (clergy).

On this day, when the gift of the Holy Spirit enflamed the hearts of the  faithful with wisdom and grace, we pray that the same Holy Spirit will do the same for us and our community and our world. It was a day of wondrous communication! People of many different cultures and languages were able to understand one another and embrace our faith in Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit help all of us to communicate the love of Christ and the salvation we have through Him. The key to a happy relationship, whether it be friendship, marriage, or even in the realm of our work life, is certainly communication. There has been a major breakdown in communication particularly in the political world, but also in the world in general. Let us all, on the Feast of the Holy Spirit, pray that the gift of the Spirit will help us, no matter what our shortcomings may be, to communicate honestly and respectfully.

God love you,