Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Solemnity of the Ascension Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, we are given another reminder of Jesus' triumph over sin and death. This celebration is meant to give us hope and strength carry His message to the ends of the earth. Our Lord gave instructions to His disciples before His return to Heaven. Jesus entrusted them with a mission to spread the Gospel.

Jesus's words are known as the Great Commission in which Our Lord invites all to believe in Him and join Him in the of work of going "into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mk. 16:15-16).

The gift of eternal life begins today. Consider yourself invited to be a part of Christ's commission. Your acceptance of and participation in making disciples reveals the Kingdom of God to those who may otherwise never know of God's love. In that Great Commission from Our Lord and through our baptism, we are invited into the very life of God. St. John tells us in Sacred Scripture: "Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ" (Jn. 17:3). Jesus Christ calls us to offer Him our love through our faith, which began in baptism, revealed in Sacred Scripture, and strengthened by the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. You are loved and sent by the Lord to proclaim the Gospel of Our Lord. The Kingdom of God is near and the veilbetween heaven and earth is very thin.

The First Communions and Confirmations for our young people have already concluded, and 45 of our children now have the great blessing of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. What a great grace! Once children have received First Communion and Confirmation, I invite them to consider serving Our Lord at Holy Mass. Young men are invited to join the Knights of the Altar and the young girls always bless our parish as part of the children's choir or the Little Flowers program that meets monthly. I am grateful to God for all the help and service our young people have provided to the parish. Children remind us that life is precious and God is love. I invite parents to encourage their children to participate in these great ministries.

Next Sunday is Pentecost and we will be welcoming 18 members of our parish family into full communion in the Catholic Church at the 10:00am Mass. Another 10 members of our parish family will also be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation in the next few months as they are in the final steps of preparation. While the Sacrament of Confirmation is typically done by the bishop of the diocese, pastors arere given permission to do so by the bishop when appropriate. We are grateful to God for these men and women who have heard the voice of Our Lord calling them to follow Him more closely as a fully initiated disciples in the Catholic Church. Well done good and faithful servants!

I also give thanks to God for the members of the OCIA team. I am grateful to God for Mr. Patrick and Kim Klein, Amanda Cramer and Tamara Rose for helping our young people grow in the faith and leading families closer to Christ. Their enthusiasm and hard work bless many families. I am also grateful for the strong and loving leadership of Mrs. Shirley Smalley and Deacon Peter Auriemma, as well as the amazing catechists who are there week after week mentoring and loving our brothers and sisters.

May God continue to bless our parish with and our world with good and faithful disciples who will in turn help others to become disciples of Our Lord Jesus.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline

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