April 25, 2021

Even though the beautiful spring weather we had around Easter seems to have gone missing for the time being, we are certainly in spring – the sun is out longer, many early flowers are blooming, the grass is taking on a lush green and the trees are budding forth.  Hopefully this is a prelude to beautiful weather around the horizon and the days of summer looming ahead. 

Spring, here in the Archdiocese, means the changing of priest assignments for those scheduled to move.  As he mentioned a couple of months ago, Fr. John Gibson is completing his three year term as our Associate Pastor and Chaplain at Catholic Memorial High School and will begin a new assignment in June.  I am pleased to be able to share that Fr. Gibson is being assigned to St. Jerome’s Parish in Oconomowoc.  Please keep him in your prayers as he begins the move, we are grateful for his years of service here at St. Mary’s, and hope this new role leading St. Jerome’s will produce an abundance of fruit for him and for his new parish. 

I am also pleased to share that Fr. Patrick Behling will be assigned as our new Associate Pastor also beginning in June.  Fr. Behling was ordained to the priesthood in 2016 and served as Associate Pastor at St. Charles Parish in Hartland from the time of his ordination until 2019 and also served as Associate Pastor at St. Teresa of Calcutta in North Lake beginning in 2018 until 2019.  Following the completion of his term at St. Charles, Fr. Behling began advanced studies while living at St. Monica’s in Whitefish Bay and will be returning to full-time parish work as he begins his time with us here at St. Mary’s.  Hopefully, in the next few weeks, Fr. Behling will have the opportunity to share more information with the parish about himself in the bulletin.

Also, we are grateful to God for the ordination to the transitional diaconate of Matthew Kirk, our seminarian intern.  He along with his classmates were ordained this weekend and will continue their preparation and formation for ordination to the priesthood in May of 2022.  Deacon Kirk will be assisting at Masses and preaching from time to time as well as celebrating Baptisms, Funeral Committal services and other liturgical work around the parish. 

Finally, we also look in Spring to First Communion.  First Communion this year will be celebrated at the 4:00 Mass on Saturday, May 1st and at the 11:15 Mass on Sunday, May 2nd.  Each First Communicant will have a pew reserved for their families so please note that those Masses will have limited seating, there will certainly be some pews available and the broadcasting of Mass into the Atrium, but please keep that in mind when planning what Mass to attend that weekend.  Please keep our 2nd Graders in your thoughts and prayers. 
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I hope this Easter Season has been one of continued joy for you – it has been a long and rough road this past year, but the Resurrection of Our Lord always holds out hope to us that we can cling to no matter what may be going on in the world or in our personal lives.  ​