Looking Back and Looking Ahead!

I want to say thank you to so many of our parishioners and friends who reached out to me during the recent events of my father’s death and burial.  I felt greatly strengthened by your prayers, cards, masses, food and other expressions of sympathy and support.  Of course, this all happened the very day that Mother Olga and the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth were flying home to Boston after their great week of evangelization here on Tybee.  

Good news and bad news will always come and go in this world crippled by original sin, but Jesus Christ is always the same; yesterday, today and forever.  He is always good, and loving and merciful.   And Jesus is right now preparing a place in Heaven for you and for me.  He has promised us in John 14: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many mansions. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.  Where I am going you know the way.” 

Well, next week, I will be going to Jacksonville, Fl to be with Bp. Parkes and all of the priests of the Diocese of Savannah for our annual retreat.  I will leave here on Sunday afternoon and return Friday.  Fr. Gregory Viskas will celebrate Mass at St. Michael’s on Wednesday evening, but the other days, there will be no Mass or Communion Service.  On Sunday Nov 10^th, I will be flying to Maryland to visit our seminarians who are studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and to check on their progress.  I will be bringing three “potential” seminarians with me to visit the seminary, so please pray for their discernment on that trip!  On Wednesday of that week, I will fly to Boston to visit Pope St. John XXIII Seminary, and return Friday, Nov 15^th.  

The next week, the Junior Priests of the Savannah Diocese will be here at Tybee Nov 18-20 for their annual convocation.  These twelve priests are ordained five years or less (Junior Priests) and they are required by Bp. Parkes to come each year for this meeting to update and talk about their major adjustment from seminarian to parish priest!   Sadly, way too many young priests leave active ministry in the first five years, so this small retreat is an attempt to strengthen and support them!  Please pray for these very fine young priests.  

The vocation office will also host a weekend retreat Dec 13-15 here on Tybee Island for young men who are discerning seminary and priesthood.  We hope to have 30 or more men here for this discernment retreat, and they will be present at the 11:00 a.m. Sunday mass that weekend.   We may be calling upon some volunteers to help us with food and housing.  

Finally, Advent begins Sunday, December 1^st in the Universal Church and it is a great liturgical season, preparing our hearts to welcome the newborn Jesus.  Our lives center around the life of Jesus, who is always the same; yesterday, today and forever.  God is loving on us when good things happen, and He is loving on us when bad things happen.  Everything that happens is designed to get us ready for Heaven.  

So, we are always looking back, and looking ahead, with gratitude! 

Fr. Brett Brannen

Pastor