FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

There was a nice turnout at the Pro-Life March in Erie on Sat., May 3. It was 45 degrees and raining, but it was great to march with everyone, as we pray that the life of all humans may be respected, from the womb to the tomb!

Congratulations to the 3rd Graders, at both parishes, who recently made their First Holy Communion! Some of them were so nervous before Mass, but after doing some breathing exercises they felt better. One girl, just before the Mass at Notre Dame, told me how excited she was, and she said: “from now on I can receive Holy Communion forever!

We remember and honor Mary during the month of May. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is part of our Catholic faith, for she is the Mother of God and our spiritual mother. Speaking of mothers, to all moms out there--happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for all you do for your families, for the Church, for schools, and for society.

As I write this, we just returned from today’s pilgrimage to Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica. There were 13 people in the “motor vehicle coalition of the willing,” and we had a spiritual day, attending Mass at the massive basilica, followed by a guided tour.

I had a nice time with my family during the weekdays after Easter Sunday. I even got to visit with my 17 month old great niece!

There are a lot of liturgical ministry training sessions starting! Remember, to continue to be a Holy Communion Minister, or to become one: one session is required for anyone who gives out Commun-ion, whether at Mass, for the homebound, or for healthcare facilities. If anyone is from another parish, and takes a host for a loved one here, they must attend as well. The Bishop has given us directions that we will explain. Choose one of the sessions: May 12 at 6 p.m. at Notre Dame; May 14 at 6 p.m. at St. Bartholomew, and May 21 at 6 p.m. at Notre Dame.

Attention all 8th Graders who will be in the Confirmation class starting in August: there is a mandatory meeting of 8th Graders and parents (at least one parent)- please attend one of the following meetings (it doesn’t matter which parish you belong to): Sunday, May 18th, after the 11 a.m. Mass at Notre Dame (we will meet in the Chapel in the Notre Dame Church), and Tues., May 20th, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Bartholomew Church.

We are in the interregnum period in the Church. The papal conclave starts on May 7. Let us continue to pray for the College of Cardinals as they listen to the Holy Spirit in discerning who will become the next Pope.

Back on Dec. 17, 2024, Almudena Martínez-Bordiú wrote a very interesting article for Catholic News Agency about Pope Francis. Last week was the first part. Here is the second part of the article:

As He Turns 88, 8 + 8 Interesting Things About Pope Francis

Did you know that the Pope says a specific prayer every day to keep his good humor?

8. He turns to St. Joseph for help in difficulties.

There is an image of St. Joseph that Pope Francis is very fond of that shows the “silent” saint lying down asleep.

During his apostolic trip to the Philippines, the Pontiff referred to St. Joseph as “a strong man of silence” and said that he keeps this figuring on his desk. “Even when he sleeps, he takes care of the Church,” he said.

“When I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and put it under St. Joseph so that he can dream about it. In other words, I tell him: ‘Pray for this problem!’” the Holy Father confessed.

9. He likes to nap.

Pope Francis usually goes to bed at 9 p.m. and wakes up around 4 a.m. He sleeps about six hours a day, as he usually reads for an hour after going to bed, until 10 p.m.

“Later, I need a nap. I have to sleep for 40 minutes to an hour. I take off my shoes and fall into bed. And I also sleep deeply. ... On days when I don’t take a nap, I notice it,” he once said.

10. Which soccer team is his favorite?

Even though he no longer lives in Argentina, Pope Francis continues to root for the San Lorenzo de Al-magro team from Buenos Aires. He keeps up to date thanks to a Swiss Guard who informs him of the team’s news every week, since the Pope doesn’t watch the games.

In fact, during an audience at the Vatican in September, a delegation from the San Lorenzo club asked the Holy Father for his blessing to name the club’s next stadium after him.

11. He has recounted the day his life was saved.

At the age of 44, Pope Francis suffered from gangrene of the gallbladder, a serious complication that occurs when the tissue of this organ of the digestive system becomes necrotic due to an interruption of blood flow.

“I felt like I was dying,” said the Holy Father, referring to the night in 1980 when he was operated on by Dr. Juan Carlos Parodi, an eminent Argentine surgeon who saved the life of then-Father Jorge Mario Ber-goglio. In 2014, 34 years later, the two held a private meeting in the Vatican.

12. Where does he want to be buried?

Unlike many pontiffs throughout the history of the Church, whose coffins are in the crypts of the Vatican in the grottoes under St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father revealed that he has had his tomb prepared in St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome due to the great devotion he has to the Virgin Salus Populi Roma-ni (protectress of the Roman people), to whom he made a promise.

In addition, in December 2022, the Pontiff gave an interview in which he announced that he had signed his resignation in case his health did not allow him to continue exercising his ministry.

13. What is his favorite movie?

His top pick is La Strada by Federico Fellini, winner of the Oscar for best foreign film in 1957.

14. He doesn’t watch television because of a promise to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Pope Francis says he hasn’t watched television since July 15, 1990, when he promised Our Lady of Mount Carmel that he would no longer do so. The Holy Father made this promise because he “felt that God was asking me to do it.”

15. He went to therapy at age 42.

In the book interview Politics and Society by Frenchman Dominique Wolton, Pope Francis recounted that, when he was provincial of the Society of Jesus in Argentina, he went to therapy for six months with a Jewish psychologist. “She was very good, very professional,” the Holy Father said.

16. He has gone “incognito” on the streets of Rome.

In 2013, the year he was elected bishop of Rome, a Vatican source informed The Huffington Post that Pope Francis went out at night dressed as a priest to give alms and help the poor on the streets of Rome. [end of 2nd, and final part of article]

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Father Miller