This Second Sunday of Lent is also the traditional day that we honor St. Patrick. With last Saturday’s parade here on Tybee, which was grand, and yesterday’s parade in town, we are pretty much finished with the “honoring.” I place “honor” in brackets because the Feast of St. Patrick is quite different today from the way it was celebrated in the days of yore. In years past, St. Patrick’s Day used to be a nice little break from the rigors of the Lenten Season. But these days very few folks take Lent seriously as a time of spiritual renewal. So, St. Patrick’s Day, even though the Irish Catholic Community of Savannah gathers for a Mass before the parade, has pretty much become disconnected from its spiritual roots and is viewed by most people simply as an excuse to hold a parade and have a good party.
In some ways we as a Catholic people have allowed the secular customs of St. Patrick's Day to steal away one of the greatest missionaries in Christian history and reduce his memory to leprechauns, green beer, and kissing bandits. I know several of our parishioners are members of the Parade Committee and they are very much rooted in their faith. I especially like the way they try to keep the right focus by starting out the week with the Celtic Cross Ceremony. Still, I think we could recover some of the spiritual meaning of the day by sharing in the true legacy of this great Christian evangelist.
Very few people who view the parade have any sense of who St. Patrick is and the important role he played in the evangelization of Ireland and the world. In the fifth century, St. Patrick entered an Ireland full of paganism and idol worship. But just a few short decades after he arrived, a healthy Church was thriving. Faith in the Risen Christ became so strong in Ireland that for centuries missionaries would go out from there to evangelize much of Europe and eventually much of America. And we certainly have a sense of that in our own faith community with two of my predecessors, Msgr. Costigan, and Bishop Boland having come to us as missionaries from Ireland. St. Patrick's legacy lives on through the countless Irish Catholic men and women he has inspired to continue his work of sharing God’s love. And so the basic question that I will ask on his Feast Day is this: Have you taken Lent seriously as a time of spiritual renewal?
Part of that spiritual renewal should always be a humble heart that recognizes the times that we have failed to respond to God’s love in our daily lives and seeks God’s forgiveness and mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. So, I’d ask you to start preparing yourself to make a good confession so that you’ll be ready to celebrate the sacrament during our Lenten Adoration and Penance Service. I am happy to announce that Msgr. Costigan and Fr. John Lyons will be with us to hear confessions.
Lenten Adoration and Penance Service April 1, 2019 from 5:30 to 6:30pm
I was thrilled with the turnout for
Convinced last Sunday at the Tybee Post. It was mostly just the faithful from our parish, but there were a few seekers among us. Hopefully, they might consider joining us. If they’d just give us a try, I am sure they’d be convinced as I am that St. Michael Church is an amazing faith community. And I love that 20+ folks are showing up for daily Mass during Lent. Come join us.
Stations of the Cross Wednesdays during Lent at 12:15pm Followed by a Soup Lunch
Trinity Mass Sunday, March 31st 10am at the Tybee Pier
On the Way Home: When the disciples saw Jesus in all his brilliant glory, the voice of God said, “This is my beloved Son… Listen to him.” What are some ways that you “listen” to Jesus?