WOW! Is summer vacation already finishing and school ready to begin this week??? Vacation time seems to get shorter each year (as I get older). But we’re happy to have our students return for a new year, with several new teachers to add to the already devoted and talented faculty. We have been “doubly blessed” with the news of the assignment of two sisters, who will serve within our school and parish community. Among the newest members of our staff are two new Little Sister Servants of the Immaculate Conception: Sister Maria Gruszka and Sister Lucy Ptak. Sister Lucy Ptak will serve as our Kindergarten Aide, and Sister Maria Gruszka will serve as Director of Religious Education and Sacristan for our church. Both have obtained degrees from St. Joseph University and Seton Hall University. They have a rich and wide experience in teaching various age groups and leading schools within the U.S. and abroad. We welcome them to our parish and hope that their gifts and talents will help us in our mission!

In our roster of new teachers, we have Ms Lisa Rochefort (“Ms R”), our Middle School Language Arts Teacher, Mr. Bill Sauve, our Middle School Social Studies & Computer Science Teacher, Mrs. Patty Kelly, our PK-8 Music Teacher; Mrs. Carie Gerasci, our 4th grade Team Teacher, back from sick leave, who is ready to tackle the 4th grade curriculum this year in the areas of Math, Spelling, Religion, and Social Studies; Coach Nick Mangini, our Boys‘ P.E. Teacher and after-school sports coach. Our new Kindergarten Teacher is Mrs. Annemarie Pontillo, and our new Pre-K teacher is Mrs. Katie Black. We welcome them all to SVF, and hope they will enjoy the support of the entire parish community here. We also welcome back our returning students, and also the many new students who have enrolled this year.

World Youth Day (actually a week-long series of outstanding events) began this week in Madrid, Spain. Though the highlight of the celebration is usually a meeting of the approximately one million young people who attend with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, at the prayerful Saturday evening Eucharistic rally and his offering of the closing Mass the next day, the entire week is filled with a wide variety of opportunities for young people to deepen their religious fervor through these experiences.

Catechetical presentations, daily Mass, numerous opportunities for Confession and Reconciliation, Eucharistic processions, Christian exhibits and musical events, a Rosary rally, world‐renowned speakers on important Catholic themes, and an uplifting enactment of the Way of the Cross help fill the week with very lively and deep demonstrations of our Catholic faith and heritage for the young people who are in attendance. In fact, the statistics gathered from the results of previous World Youth Days, since they were inaugurated by Blessed John Paul II, show that W.Y.D. has also proved to be a great opportunity for young people to consider seriously vocations to priesthood and religious life. Many applications received by seminary officials and religious communities indicate that a large proportion of their recent entrants have come because of the influence and experience of various W.Y.D. events.

One of the most touching moments I can recall from one of these events happened in Toronto nine years ago. It was when the late Pope John Paul II (now Blessed John Paul) addressed the youth and sadly foretold that he probably would not be physically present with them three years afterwards for the next W.Y.D. event in Cologne, (not every two years, as had been the custom until then). Sure enough, it was Pope Benedict XVI who was the one to preside at that next celebration as the new Holy Father in his native Germany. I recall that much of the time in 2005 in Cologne was spent in focusing on the great writings, words and actions of Benedict’s predecessor. Both men had their portraits featured in huge billboard-like arrangements (compliments of Fuji film) across the square from Cologne Cathedral.
It was also in Toronto that we spent that Saturday evening after the papal rally outdoors in the large city park, waiting for the Sunday morning Mass to begin. Rain had begun to fall, and we woke from our sleeping bags and plastic make-shift tents covered in dampness and some mud. When the Holy Father returned to the park for that Mass, our priest vestments, though somewhat covered in plastic ponchos, were muddied at the bottom as we made our way to the field altar. Pope John Paul arrived in his pope-mobile, protected from the elements. The spirits of the youth weren’t dampened, and when the Pope made the opening sign of the Cross for Mass and greeted us with, “Peace be with you,” the drizzling rain IMMEDIATELY stopped, the clouds parted and the sun came out to dry us, as the temperature later hit a record 87 degrees. Everyone commented on this later in the day, and said they felt they had witnessed a “natural,” but real miracle. I will always remember and cherish that day; and the vestments I wore are the ones that I proudly wear for Mass on national holidays in our church.

My prayer for this W.Y.D. event is that Spain will get a grip on its formerly strong Catholic faith (that has been waning in recent years – especially because of the political and economic unrest that was brought about by its current Socialist government) and that the young people will go out and bring back to their countries the Light of Christ that is necessary to counter the culture of darkness surrounding us!

Very Rev. Canon Tom