…”Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.’” Our Gospel this weekend focuses on prayer and reflection the promise of the Holy Spirit. As we look forward to the Feast of Pentecost, Jesus promises to send us the Holy Spirit – our Advocate. With the Spirit of God, we are never alone. With the Holy Spirit, God gives us the guidance, strength, wisdom and courage that we need to live and love in the name of the Lord. In these upcoming weeks to Pentecost, ask God to send you the Holy Spirit. Come Spirit come.
…”I will never leave you orphans.” God promises to never leave us. This powerful line from this weekend’s Gospel should give all of us comfort, hope and peace. How great is the love and care of the Lord for each of us. How can we rejoice in the faithful love of God? How can we stay every close to the Lord?
…This weekend we are being asked to continue the faithful love and service of God for those in need through our continued support of Catholic Charities. So many in our community have already participated in the Catholic Charities Appeal (back in February). This weekend’s mini-appeal is a chance to ask anyone, who has yet to respond, for their support. By doing so, it will allow Catholic Charities to care for 300,000+ people across our region in their moments of need. Together we can make sure no one is abandoned in their need. Together we can make sure all have shelter, food, and the human support they need. Thank you for your consideration. If it’s easier for you, you can always go online to www.ccdocle.org/donate.
…Many thanks for all you do for those in need through the outreach ministries of our parish community. I met with Jeff Trush the other day to catch up on our Catholic Works of Ministry programs. Thanks to your support in dropping off food and supporting the collection baskets each week, we are working to do a Food Distribution for families on June 6. We will begin with a prayer service to share the food that will sustain them (and all of us) – Jesus Christ. Thank you!!!
…Jeff shared with me that we could use a few additional cooks for our monthly community meal program. If you know how to cook for groups, we could use you. The goal is to get a few more to add to the team to strengthen our rotation so everyone only needs to help a couple times a year. Want to do good and literally help feed others in the name of Jesus? Please send me an email and I will share with Jeff and our CWM Team (FrBob@StAmbrose.us).
…Many thanks for the GREAT start to our summer festival raffle. You can see the status in the bulletin. Special thanks to our ‘raffle team’ which donated ‘incentive’ prizes to encourage everyone’s support. The festival and raffle are important to help us support our parish and care for our parish lots and campus. The raffle has the most amazing prizes. It’s really an opportunity to help our parish and win the best of prizes – thanks to some great friends to our community. Check it out today.
…We need many hands to bring the Festival to life. Can you volunteer for a few hour shift? See what’s needed by going to www.stambrose.us/volunteer.
…As you know, we have a great group of members who serve on our Building and Grounds team. They volunteer on projects like helping ‘set up’ the Festival. If you are a handyman, or can just lend a hand, we need you. It’s a great group. They work hard for the Lord and our parish and have great fun while sharing good friendship with each other. Contact Ken at kukarolapa@aol.com for information or to join up. Thank you.
…This past week Fr. Rob led one of his amazing bus trips. The group always comes back energized after a great day of friendship, fun, food and sharing faith. There was a visitor to the group. This is what she wrote after arriving home: “The Pilgrimage with Fr. Rob was such a beautiful day. The people I met from St. Ambrose were so very kind & welcomed me on the Pilgrimage with open arms. I was so very blessed & grateful to be able to travel for Pilgrimage & Prayer with your Parishioners. I have never had a Church welcome me as much as St. Ambrose did yesterday. I didn’t want to come home!” This is one of so many compliments YOU receive about the spirit of welcome and community we share with one another at Saint Ambrose. God bless you.
…In that same spirit, we are thrilled to welcome Father Adam Zajac to our parish community. Father Adam has been ordained for four years and has served at Holy Angels in Bainbridge. He will join our community on June 13 (the 60th anniversary of our parish community). Father Adam will be a welcome addition to our Pastoral Staff. Please join me in welcoming him to Saint Ambrose.
…This past Friday Deacon Matt and his classmates were ordained as priests. Father Matt will join us next Sunday, May 28 at 12 noon for a Mass of Thanksgiving. Join him in giving thanks to God for all the blessing we have received. It’s also a great moment for us to pray for vocations. May members of our community hear and respond to the call to serve as priest, deacon and consecrated religious for our Church.
…Special prayers for our college students as they come home for the summer. It’s great to have you home. Thoughts and prayers for all our school students as they wrap up the school year. May God keep all of our students safe this summer.
…Janet Majka and her team are working hard to prepare for an amazing Vacation Bible School. See today’s bulletin for details.
…Every Friday night our parish has bingo. For so many it is a great source of friendship and fun each week. We could use a little help, especially as we head in to summer. A few hours for our parish will make all the difference. Can you try it at least once? Contact Mike Mascio for information (MMascio@StAmbrose.us).
…God will never abandon us. Let’s rejoice in the promises of the Lord and allow God’s Spirit to fill our hearts and guide our days.
