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From the Pastor's Desk: November 15, 2020
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As we approach the end of the Liturgical Year of the Church, the parables Jesus tells in today’s Gospel show us God’s “business sense.” He diversifies His funds, investing them in each one of us at different amounts, expecting a return in due proportion. His investment in you and me calls us to particular way of life based on fidelity of our service and generous work in God’s vineyards as His co-workers to produce a bountiful return. What confidence the Master has in His servants as He “entrusted His possessions to them!”
I feel that often the Lord God trusts us more than we perhaps trust ourselves. He entrusts to us a lot of potential, not only to become the persons and Christians He has called us to be, but also to build up the Church and God's Kingdom. What a trust! He puts Himself and the Church and the Kingdom into our hands! That trust is our responsibility expressed in the way of life of Stewardship, when we– His faithful, trustworthy and generous servants– acknowledge that God is Giver-of-all, that the "talents" belong to the Master, not to the servants. It is not the servant who is enriched, but the Giver of the treasure. And the "treasure" in question is not wealth but the "pearl of great price," the Kingdom of God, an authentic happiness and fulfillment of our lives. Just as in the business world so it is in our spiritual lives, "The safe thing is to run risks; the risky thing is to play it safe" (Mark Twain). I think it is a way of life that brings us to what we would want to hear at the moment: “Well done, my good and faithful servant! Come and share the joy of your master” (Matthew 25: 21).
It is with utmost appreciation that I express my thankfulness for the success of the St. Luke Annual Festival we celebrated last weekend! My words fail to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to John Jordan- Director of the Festival, his supportive committees, Kristen Barreto – Parish Manager, our dedicated staff, and countless numbers of parishioners who in spite of the uncertainties of the pandemic came to share their time and talent. Together with loving commitment and dedication, faced with such challenges of the Covid-19, prepared with safely protocols and guidelines to make our best efforts possible to keep everybody safe and allow them to enjoy fun of the festival, we delivered an incredibly successful event!!!!! The remarkable efforts of the leadership and parishioners alike were met with an amazing response of the community who showed up in record numbers. I am so grateful to so many who took the responsibility to step forward and to pull together to serve the parish and extend the gift of our parish to so many. It was an incredible witness of our faith through actions to reflect the love we have for one another and beyond. The numbers are not finalized at this time, but the gross income- along with a very specific budget, indicates a financial benefit. To everyone who came to join, support, and participate in this community building event- I am forever thankful. May the love of God, that you all came to share and witness with one another so generously, continue to be a blessing in your lives, and may He keep you safe and healthy and may it continue to be an inspiration for all of us to follow. Until next year!!!!!!
On November 6, 2020, the Florida Attorney General Office released the Statewide Prosecution’s Report On Sexual Abuse in The Catholic Church in Florida- the investigation into the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests in Florida launched in 2018. In regards to the Diocese of St. Augustine, the report stated that since 1960, 837 priests have served in parishes of the Diocese of St. Augustine, and of that number, 13 priests have been credibly accused of harming minors within the current territory of the diocese. Nine of them are deceased, and the other four have been permanently removed from ministry and no longer work for the church in any capacity. “We cannot apologize enough to each victim for the grave harm that has been inflicted on them and their families, and we offer our help now and for the future. The loss of trust that is often the consequence of such abuse becomes even more tragic when it leads to a loss of the faith that we have a sacred duty to foster,” said Bishop Estévez. The report also stated that: “The province seems committed to righting the past wrong, practicing a zero-tolerance, and complying fully and timely with Florida’s reporting requirements in every instance of suspected abuse.”
The Diocese of St. Augustine treats all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and deals with allegations in a prompt, confidential, and thorough manner.
I wish you a blessed, healthy and safe week. Let’s find an opportunity to invest in our relationship with the Lord!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy
