Dear Friends in Christ,The feast of our patron saint John the Baptist draws near. We are very blessed to have such a powerful saint to watch over our parish community. As you know the Church normally celebrates a saint’s day on the anniversary of his/her death, their “birth into heaven”.
In the case of St. John the Baptist we also celebrate his birthday. The Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist is June 24 (this Thursday). Because of his importance for us, we will celebrate the Mass of St. John the Baptist next weekend in conjunction with our 50th Anniversary Festival.
Here are some lessons we can learn from our patron’s life. Even before he was born John leaped in his mother’s womb for joy in the presence of the Lord, who was hidden in Mary’s womb. Let us remember to welcome unborn human life with joy, always rejecting the evil of abortion. St. John prepared the way of the Lord by his preaching and baptism of repentance. By our example we can prepare hearts to receive the grace of God. Perhaps we can encourage someone to become a Catholic or reach out to a lapsed Catholic to return.
As a model of the spiritual life, St. John the Baptist teaches us to allow Jesus to increase while we strive to decrease our pride. Jesus called John a shining lamp. May our patron guide our steps and strengthen our heart so that we will give a good example to others. St. John was so committed to the truth that he was willing to lay down his life. May his witness to truth keep us committed to learning the truth and
living it with love and sacrifice. St. John the Baptist, pray for us.
Sincerely yours in Christ and St. John the Baptist,
Fr. Hildebrand
SJB Festival Opening Ceremony
- When: June 25 at 3:00 pm
- Where: Under the Big Tent
- Invocation by Fr. Hildebrand
- Greetings and Proclamations by Civic Leaders: Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Assemblyman Van Tran, City Mayor Alan Mansoor
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