Fr. German’s Message
This weekend we celebrate with the entire Church the Feast of Pentecost.
The liturgy, the music and the decoration of our churches invites us to
celebrate this occasion with joy. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, descended
over the universe to dwell within the hearts of all well-meaning men and women.
The Feast of Pentecost is a celebration of the presence of God
throughout His creation, and a celebration of diversity.
Men and women of all cultures, races, and continents receive the Spirit
of God since God does not discriminate between us and considers us all His
children, the work of His hands.
In the parish of St. Sebastian, we have the good fortune of celebrating
the Pentecost, the feast of diversity, every Sunday.
On Saturday, May 12th, during the concert we held in the
church in which a good part of our Sunday liturgical group participated, we
experienced an exceptional moment. We celebrated the Pentecost that Saturday.
Children, youth and adults of our three linguistic communities sang and
played instruments to various musical pieces. We had the feeling of being in a
grand musical concert hall or the opera house of Vienna, Paris or Los Angeles.
The concert, which had been organized by the fundraising committee of
our parish (under the leadership of Charlotte de Vera) turned out to be an
unforgettable moment for all participants.
We were fortunate to hear individual professional performers of high
level and we had the joy of hearing the children’s choir of St. Sebastian
school and the choirs that sing and play on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays
during our celebrations.
What quality and what variety.
In my closing words, I said that we were fortunate to have in our midst
a multitude of artists and our incalculable richness thanks to the variety and
the diversity of your talents.
Thanks to all the organizers, thanks to those who came to listen to and
applaud the musicians who agreed to share with us the richness of their
artistic talents.
Thanks most of all to the musicians. I know that you have hours, even
years, of work experience to be who you are today. Thanks for sharing with us
that gift that God has placed in your lives. Thanks for participating in the
life and the beauty of the liturgy of our church. May the Lord bless you and
fill you with joy owing to your talent.
In the concert, we gave a special thanks to Cuco (one of the Spanish
musicians) for his 35 years of service as a musician in our parish.
The concert was made complete by the delicious dishes that we ate and
the good beverages that we drank before, during, and after. These were
important moments for meeting and sharing with others. All continents were
represented. We celebrated the Pentecost with the music and diversity of food
and drink that we shared.
We invite you to mark the date next year for the third Concert of the
Pentecost.
Have a happy week.
Fr. Germán May 26th / 27th 2012