This weekend as we celebrate Memorial Day we prepare to celebrate our annual mass at St. Michael’s cemetery.  Each year this is a moving parish event where hundreds gather to remember their loved ones, those buried at St. Michael’s and those buried elsewhere. We read the names of all those whose funerals where at our parish; we honor them and pray for all those who have lost their lives in defense of our country.
 
Every year when I celebrate this Mass, I have many flashbacks of the times I have stood at open graves during the past year, in snow, rain, sleet, freezing temperatures as well as the blazing heat of summer. So many faces and names come back to me. It all becomes part of my own prayer for those who have died, and for their surviving loved ones. It is a powerful reminder of the ‘communion of the saints’ and the great gift we celebrate during the Easter Season, the gift of the Resurrection.
 
We hope that many of you will join us on Monday at 9 a.m. Bring your own lawn chair if you wish and don’t forget the bug spray!! Since I have been here we have had beautiful weather; however in case of rain, the Mass will be celebrated in the upper church.
 
It is amazing that the month of May is rolling to an end. Soon we will be in the midst of summer and a more relaxed pace. We look forward to welcoming our African priest. Although I have received confirmation that someone is coming, I have received no further details. I will let you know as soon as I do.
 
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!