Dear St. Gabriel Parishioners:
HAPPY PENTECOST … HAPPY BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH
Come Holy Spirit – Renew the face of the Earth and renew the Church.
- After joining the Archbishop and Catholics in the Archdiocese to pray a Novena to the Holy Spirit in anticipating the Feast of Pentecost May 22-23, for the intention of "the renewal and spread of the faith, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne will announce a new 5-years Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Seattle.
As the beginning of this Pastoral Plan, Archbishop Etienne appointed thirteen lay representatives and two clergy consultors to a new Archdiocesan Pastoral Council in 2020. Then in March 2020, the Archdiocese launched an on.line survey collecting nearly 8,000 responses from Catholics across the region. This Catholic survey was followed by listening sessions in October, centered on the preliminary elements of the mission statement, guiding principles, and a shared vision. These sessions informed the development of the Pastoral Plan Draft. Today, on the Feast of Pentecost, the council along with Archbishop Etienne is releasing this new Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Seattle. You can get more information on the Archdiocesan Website.
- In the first Pentecost, the apostles were transformed by their “encounter with the Holy Spirit”. They were changed “spiritually”; the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given in order to build the Church on earth, so that the members of the Church might reach Heaven.
St. Paul describes the Mystical Body of Christ this way: “There are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in every one. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” To each person, the Holy Spirit is given for the sake of service: “for the common good”.
The Holy Spirit makes the Christian experience truly Catholic and universal, open to all human experience. Babel symbolizes the divisions of people caused by sin, Pentecost stands for unity. Traditionally, this weekend at St. Gabriel Parish, “with a name tag we reveal ourselves” to our neighbors sitting around us. In the joyous spirit of Pentecost at this time, please say a prayer for your neighbors who are around us and cross from us.
- “A deep word of thanks” to the many families, at St. Gabriel Parish, who have pledged and turned in your commitment envelopes to the Parish or Archdiocesan Office to support the Annual Catholic Appeal again this year. Your supports are the testimony of the commitment for us to be “Church” today in our time. If you didn’t have an opportunity of filling your commitment envelop, please join with many of your parishioners to pledge toward our parish goal. Please see the bulletin to see how close we are to meet our parish personal goal.
- May the Joy and Blessing of the Feast of Pentecost (the birthday of the Church) continue to help us actively involved in the Ministry of Jesus in our Church’s today.
Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Phuong Hoang