Our circumstances may be different than those of the first Christians, but our faith and the power of the Holy Spirit are the same! My hope for the 8^th graders at OLP each year is that they experience their confirmation as the promise of all that the Lord still wishes to do in and through them throughout their lives. Whenever we hear of chaos and tragedy around us, the response of our hearts is to beg, ‘Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.’ In the Sacrament of Confirmation and in the celebration of Pentecost, we are reminded that the Lord does indeed send out the Holy Spirit to bring great renewal!

Jesus’ final instruction to the Church is simple: ‘Go … and make disciples.’ But we do not do this by our own strength. In Acts, Jesus tells the apostles that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. When we live joyfully in communion with God and embrace the gifts of the Holy Spirit, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ becomes not merely possible, but inevitable.

On Friday, January 23, Our Lady of Peace celebrated a Mass in Solidarity with Immigrants. Deacon Ramon García Degollado shared a powerful message of hope, reminding us that even in difficult and uncertain times, Christ is present among the vulnerable, the hungry, and the marginalized. He encouraged us to respond with love and compassion, seeing God in our neighbors and living out our call to build a more just and caring community. Click to read his full homily.

Over thirty years ago, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document, Communities of Salt and Light, focused on the role of Catholic parishes as the center of faith in our community. The document stated: 

“The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church. Parishes are the place where God's people meet Jesus in word and sacrament and come in touch with the source of the Church's life.”