2) Wanna be sure to have a great summer? Then don't forget to check out our ever so aptly titled post Five Tips on Having a Great Summer...
3) Speaking of having a great summer - do yourself a favor and go on a silent retreat sometime before the fall - in fact, I'll make this really easy on you: go to this website, call one of the two phone numbers at the top of the page and you're golden. You won't regret it. Going on a silent retreat can be an important opportunity to remove yourself from distraction so you can hear God speak to you in the silence and it's also just a nice way to take a break and relax.
4) In March 2010 CCM took several students to Chicago for our annual Spring Break Mission Trip. We went to work with Fr. Bob Lombardo of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the new religious order he was founding called the Franciscans of the Eucharist. Fr. Bob was invited to Chicago by Cardinal George to serve the poor and restore a parish in a Chicago neighborhood that had seen much trouble. In the '50s, Our Lady of the Angels Parish experienced a tragic fire in the parish school which resulted in the deaths of over 90 children and a few sisters who taught there. We we visited Fr. Bob just two years ago, much work had already been accomplished including a lot of renovations to the old convent, but the parish itself had not been worked on much yet - it had been out of commission for many years and Fr. Bob was working on getting help to restore it. Providentially, today I found a video featuring the newly restored parish and the rededication Mass that took place there just last month. It's really a beautiful video - the church is gorgeous and its restoration is a true sign of hope and joy for the Church universal and the people of the neighborhood. Those of you who were on the trip with us will especially enjoy seeing this I'm sure:
5) Next Sunday, May 27, is Pentecost, so that means that today is the start of the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Click here to pray the Novena.
6) Normally the Solemnity of the Ascension is celebrated on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter, but for pastoral reasons many dioceses in the U.S., including ours, transfer the solemnity to the following Sunday. That means that when you go to Mass this Sunday, the readings will be for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. What is the Ascension and why is it important? Here's Fr. Barron with a commentary on it:
7) "The he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven." - Luke 24: 50-51
Archbishop Fulton Sheen on the Ascension of the Lord:
"Pierced hands best distribute benediction. In the book of Leviticus, after the reading of the prophetical promise of the Messiah, there came the high priestly benediction; so too, after showing that all prophecies were fulfilled in Him, He prepared to enter the heavenly sanctuary. Hands that held the sceptre of authority in heaven and on earth now gave the final blessing....In the Ascension, Christ took our necessities to the Father; thanks to the Spirit, Christ the Redeemer would be brought into the hearts of all who would believe in Him. The Ascension would give Christ the right to intercede powerfully for mortals." From Life of Christ
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