FROM THE PASTOR 

PENTECOST SUNDAY

            On April 19, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI, during his visit to the United States , said:  “As we give thanks for past blessings, and look to the challenges of the future, let us implore from God the grace of a new Pentecost for the Church in America .  May tongues of fire, combining burning love of God and neighbor with zeal for the spread of Christ’s Kingdom, descend on all.” 

            I wonder what a new Pentecost in the American Church would look like.  What would a new Pentecost at IHM look like?  I imagine a community of people who are excited about Jesus and their membership in His Church; who are going out, with great enthusiasm, to share what they have experienced, and to invite everyone they know to come to know Christ as they have; who are in love with the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and give him glory and adoration continually; who know Mary and the Saints as their closest companions, friends and heroes; who seek to transform all of the environments of their lives, by bringing the love of Jesus to all that they know.  I picture a parish that is on fire with love for the poor and the needy, with the broken and the wounded, which creates a safe and loving space for all of God’s children to come find hope and healing and peace and joy.

            Let us pray that the Pope’s prayer will come true.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

            We extend a wish and a prayer to all of our Mothers that this day and everyday will be a time of blessing, peace and love.  The family is the basic unit of society and of the Church.  As the family goes, so goes society and so goes the Church.  Not to slight Dads at all (we will praise you in a few weeks), but in most families it is Mother who is the heart and soul of the family, who binds the family together, nourishing, comforting, reconciling, and healing.  In most homes it is Mom who is the spiritual leader, making sure that the kids pray and learn their faith. 

            Thank you, Mothers, Grandmothers, and Great-Grand-Mothers.  We love you and we honor you today.

ED COLINA PRESENTATION

            Ed Colina, former principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, and, presently, our missionary to Kenya , Africa , is home for a few months.  He will give a presentation this Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM, showing pictures and talking about what he is doing and experiencing in Kenya .  Many of you have very generously supported Ed in his work.  Please come and see what he and you are doing.

“COULD YOU NOT STAY AWAKE WITH ME ONE HOUR?”

            These, of course, are the words that Jesus spoke to Peter and the other Apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane .  They have become a challenge to all of his followers throughout history to take time (one hour) to be with him, to pray to him.  Forty Hours Devotion, which we will have here at IHM on May 30, 31, and June 1, offers us the opportunity to do just that.

            Please sign up to do one of the hours of adoration that weekend, and to participate in the parish supper on Sunday evening.           

MASS CHANGES

            On May 25 there will be no 12:30 pm Mass due to graduation.

What IHM Means to Me....

There are no words to express how much IHM means to me. I can honestly say that this parish is my home- my safety in this world. I've been with IHM since the day I was born, and my family has been there even longer- I've received all the sacraments within the walls (of the old church in Hebron and the church that we are presently in). I went to school here for all 8 years, and was still very much involved throughout the past years. When I think of IHM, I don't just think of the typical 'mass on Sunday' and grade school moments... When I think of IHM, all of my childhood memories flood back to me. I think of the old church on Limaburg- the hiking trail by Sister's house (which they made into a Haunted Trail during Halloween), the huge stain glass window in the back of church, the summer festivals (which was one of my biggest highlights), the Christmas pageant, and the endless friendships that my family made- which I now consider my family. I also think of some not so good memories, but the people of IHM were there for me and my family- my grandma's funeral- where people lined up around the block just to comfort my mom and dad, my dad's heart surgery- when the nurses at the hospital had never seen so many visitors in their whole life, and Father Britt's death- when we all came together and were truly a FAMILY. Most of my memories within the past 19 years have to do with Immaculate Heart. It means more to me than anyone will ever know. The comforting feeling when I enter through those doors is a feeling that I wish more people could feel in the world. It is a feeling of Love- of God. To this day, when I drive home from college and I go down 18- I don't feel like its home until I look out my window, and I can see IHM on the right. And even if I haven't been there for a while, I still just walk right in, kneel in the church, and feel like I never left- because that is what a home is about- It's about love never leaving your side- Always being there to shelter you from the storm, Always being there to guide you where you belong- Always being there with God's grace constantly showered upon you. And in the future, when I have a family of my own- and go through my own struggles, you better believe that I will be walking through those doors- to my family, to God's love, to my HOME... It will always be there for me, and I always want to be there for it. GOD BLESS IHM... I don't know where I would be without it.

Tricia Boelscher