Fr. Mike's Communication for May 22 2022

The Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 22, 2022

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.

~John 14:23-29

Brothers and Sisters,

“5-minute warning!” Often can be heard coming from the mouths of my siblings or sisters-in-law over the chaos at a family gathering. From this outsider’s perspective, alerting your kids to what is about to end is an excellent tool to flex in your parenting arsenal—most times, offering a heads-up to a pending transition can lead to better cooperation when the change arrives.

In the Gospel of John, in four chapters (14-17), Jesus is attempting something similar; he is offering notice to those in his care that he is not staying – or more accurately, he’s not staying the same way. Jesus wants his disciples to understand that his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension are not abandonment, but he will endure through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will continue the mission, draw the faithful together and inspire them. Jesus is ensuring them, despite this transition, his teachings will come to fruition – and in many ways, they will reach an even greater understanding of what he’s been desiring them to comprehend. Especially God’s enduring union with all who love him and how this union is the only way to experience lasting peace from the hardships and turbulence in life. God wants to remain with us —always.

The Spirit will hear any utterance of prayer offered at any time or place. How? Honestly, I do not know. Still, since our Church’s earliest days, our scriptures and traditions have encouraged us to invoke the Holy Spirit. So, don’t hold back! Invoke the Spirit in praise or need; call forth the Spirit to encourage or correct; even ask the Holy Spirit to pray for you or inspire the words for prayer when they escape you. Whether you pray for an extended period (such as an hour at Adoration) or just a few seconds, start this week with a simple invocation of the Holy Spirit: “Come, Holy Spirit.” You may follow that with a request, such as “Come, Holy Spirit and lift this burden,” “Come, Holy Spirit, and strengthen my patience,” “Come, Holy Spirit, and motivate me for this service,” and “Come, Holy Spirit, and bless this time of prayer.”

Please join me in strengthening these prayers of our parish community by coming together for our Pentecost Novena, starting this Friday, May 27. Each evening at 7 pm in the Church (if you cannot join us physically through the Livestream), we’ll pray for about 45 minutes in Adoration. Each night will implore a particular title for the Holy Spirit, include a Scripture reading around that theme and a short reflection, and some time for praise through music and silent prayer. As we prepare for Benediction, we’ll pray the “We Stand before You, Holy Spirit” with the intention that the Spirit may guide the Church, our particular parish, our families, neighbors, and our parishioners.

This Novena will culminate with the celebration of Pentecost. On Saturday at 10 am, we are offering a Family Pentecost Celebration, and on the evening of June 4, the extended Pentecost Vigil is at 7 pm. The Vigil will provide a rich celebration of the Mass, with extended readings that help us reflect on the works of the Holy Spirit and with time for Adoration and praise after Communion. The evening will conclude with time for fellowship, drinks, and desserts. On Sunday, June 5, we’ll celebrate beautiful Masses at 7:30 am, 9 am (in the Church and Livestream), 11 am in the Church, 11 am outside Harrison Hall, and 5 pm in the Church, with a parish picnic at 6 pm. Join us for this blessed weekend! Check out the celebrations at olphparish.org/exalt. Please note that our last regular offering of Outdoor Sunday Mass before Harrison Hall will be Sunday, June 5. The parish will broadcast our 9 am Mass on Facebook, our website www.olphparish.org and projected upon a screen outside the Church. Parishioners who wish to remain outdoor are invited to bring a chair to this location. An Extraordinary Minister will bring Communion to you outdoors. We hope all our parishioners will return to OLPH at Mass; you’ve been missed! We have made efforts to welcome those who have been away comfortable, including maintaining a mask-only section in front of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

In the hopes of truly “praying always,” we are currently imploring the Novena to St. Peregrine, offering the intentions for those healing from or suffering from illness. This Monday, May 23, at 7 pm, the Knights will lead us in the Patriotic Rosary for our nation and each of our 50 states as we offer each Hail Mary. Building off this momentum, we hope many of our parishioners will learn more about and participate in the Life in the Spirit Seminar offered on June 17 & 18. Finally, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, on Sunday, May 19th we encourage families to pray and process with the Blessed Sacrament after the 11 am Mass. Visit OLPHParish.org to learn more about all the many ways we continue in prayer together, guided by the Spirit!

Some considerations:

Important Notice Regarding OLPH Outdoor Sunday 11 am Mass – Please note, that our last regular offering of Outdoor Sunday Mass before Harrison Hall will be Sunday, June 5th. Beginning Sunday, June 12th parish will broadcast our 9 am Mass on Facebook and our website www.olphparish.org as well as onto a screen outside the church entrance. Parishioners who desire to remain outdoor are invited to bring a chair to this outdoor location. An Extraordinary Minister will bring Communion to those seated outside at this location. For those worshipping at our 9 am Mass, we maintain both dedicated mask-only and mask-free sections for your preference.
Mary’s Home Maryland 2nd Annual Open House | Saturday, June 4th, 1-4 pm
In the last five years, Mary’s Home has embraced and accompanied 33 women and their children with your help, and it is with great joy and hope that we move toward the future to continue sustaining lives together. In the past year alone, 3 moms have graduated from our program and moved on to self-sustainable living. With 4 moms and 5 babies with us currently, our homes are bustling with blessings! Come meet the families in our program, tour the homes, enjoy some hors d’oeuvres, and help support the sustainability of our ministry. Sustaining Mary’s Home means helping to remove obstacles that mothers in crisis are facing and empowering these families as they work hard to build bright futures with confidence. RSVP IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND. https://www.maryshomemaryland.org/open-house-22
Individual Unbound Ministry Prayer | June 11 – Many of us are fighting invisible battles with anxieties, negative thoughts, sins, unhealthy relationships, destructive habits, resentments, and bitter wounds that never seem to heal. You can reach out and experience God’s merciful love, healing, and freedom! Unbound Ministry Prayer releases the power of Jesus into wounded lives. On Saturday, June 11th, there will be trained teams available to provide individual prayer using the Unbound Model of prayer in Ellicott City, MD. Unbound Prayer is based on 5 scriptural keys that help you unlock those areas of your life where you want to receive greater freedom, healing & spiritual growth. If you would like to schedule an appointment or want more information, please contact Dan or Peggy Gahagan by Monday, June 6th, at unboundministrymaryland@gmail.com. We ask that you read at least the first 7 chapters of the book Unbound, by Neal Lozano prior to scheduling an appointment to receive Unbound prayer (available at www.Amazon.com OR www.heartofthefather.com).
Columbia Pregnancy Center Healing Group | June 4- Aug 6 – Columbia Pregnancy will be conducting a 10-week abortion healing group using Her Choice to Heal in a book club setting. We will meet every Saturday starting June 4th to Aug 6th from 10-12p. at the Columbia Pregnancy Center located at 8945 Guilford, Rd Suite 130, Columbia, MD.
VBS at OLPH | July 18-22 | 10 am – 12:30 pm Join us for our Summer, 2022 Vacation Bible School, “Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness” where we will celebrate God’s greatness throughout the whole week! Learn more, become a volunteer or a camper. Visit www.olphparish.org or email Judy Gruel, at jgruel@archbalt.org.

Come Holy Spirit, and enrich Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish!

Rev. Michael S. Triplett