“Pentecost”

May 26, 2009

Year of St. Paul

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Sunday we will be celebrating the solemnity of Pentecost. One of the great feasts of the Church, it commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the Blessed Mother. That event gave birth to the preaching and teaching of the Gospel with power and authority as well as the new spiritual gifts to accomplish the task. This solemnity comes fifty days after Easter—hence the name Pentecost.

Many parishes throughout the Archdiocese encourage parishioners to wear red on Pentecost Sunday as a sign of the fire of the Holy Spirit. It’s a nice custom that gets everyone involved in the liturgical action of celebrating the traditional “birthday of the Church.”

We are also coming close to the end of the Confirmation season. I am so proud of the young people who have presented themselves for this great sacrament. Both Bishop Sklba and I remember these young people in our daily prayers with great expectation for the hope they engender in the Church and the ways in which they will respond to God’s grace as young adults.

I encourage all of you to focus on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit during the remainder of the month. You remember them, don’t you?  They are Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear of the Lord. The Lord certainly fills all of us with these gifts in a special way at the time of our Confirmation. Pentecost is a great time to remember them again and pray for their emphasis in our daily lives.

So, while you hunt for some red accessories for your “Sunday best,” remember to keep the Spirit of prayer and action alive as you strive to “be” the Church and “extend” the Kingdom of God in the way you live each and every day.

Come Holy Spirit, inspire our hearts and minds to love God and our brothers and sisters! Happy Pentecost!

Faithfully in Christ,

Most Reverend William Patrick Callahan

Archdiocesan Administrator
Archdiocese of Milwaukee

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