Fr. German’s Message
Saturday, June 2nd, we will join our youth who will be
receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. On Sunday, June 3rd at 9
am, we will have the First Communion Ceremony for our school’s pupils. Then at
12 noon, we will celebrate the First Communion of the children of our parish.
We are also delighted to have Bishop Edward Clark, auxiliary Bishop of
the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Bishop Clark, who is in charge of our pastoral
region (Our Lady of the Angels) will accompany us during the celebration of
Confirmation. The presence of our Bishop reminds us that we belong to a
diocesan community and that we are in communion with the Universal Church. We
are grateful to Bishop Clark for remembering us. Thanks to his communion with
the Archbishop of Los Angeles and for his communion with the Pope, that our
parish community forms a part of the great family that is the Universal
Catholic Church.
The community of St. Sebastian joins me in congratulating the youth who
will be receiving the Holy Spirit. Let us pray with the hope that this
sacrament of the Church becomes for them a new stage in their lives with God.
Let us pray for their vows towards the Church and the world, as disciples of
the Risen Christ. The Church and the world count on you to give testimony of
God’s love. Allow yourselves to be enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit in
order to discover the pathway to happiness, the road towards peace, and the way
of the Gospel.
A child’s First Communion is also, without a doubt, a significant event
for our community. These children will, for the first time, share with us of
the Body and Blood of Christ that reassures us of His promise to remain among
us. Together we (children, youth, and adults) form a single community, one
family, one Body – the Body of Christ. We are overjoyed to have the opportunity
to welcome the children who hereafter will participate completely in the
Eucharist. We hope to see them every Sunday to share our joy of being
Christians and to absorb from them the fresh passion of their relationship with
Jesus. Open your hearts to recognize the presence of Jesus Who seeks to dwell
in your lives to nourish your faith and to help you live like children of God.
The Sacraments are important in the life of the Church since they help
us to grow in our relationship with God.
By way of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Church,
the Christian community and the baptized receive the spiritual nourishment and
the light necessary to live in the world and the society like members of the
Body of Christ.
May the Holy Spirit that we are to receive through the laying of the
hands, the anointment with Holy Oils, and the Body of Christ in the Eucharist,
unite our community so that we may be witnesses of the presence of God in our
lives and that of the Church.
Have a happy week.
Fr. Germán June 2nd / 3rd 2012