This weekend we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, still frequently referred to by its Latin title of Corpus Christi. This is a special opportunity to give thanks for the wonderful gift of the Eucharist. There is a custom in the Church of having a procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of the town, so that everyone may see with what great esteem we hold the gift of the Eucharist. In modern times such processions are much more difficult, as they would require a stoppage of traffic. We have a procession entirely on our own property. We have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after the 11:00 Mass, with the Eucharistic Procession to a temporary altar in the gym for Benediction at 3:00.
Monday is Memorial Day. I hope we have some good cookouts to celebrate the beginning of summer, but let us remember that the main reason for this holiday is primarily to recognize the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in service to our country in our nation’s wars. This holiday should remind us that we owe our freedom to those who have given so much. Mass on Memorial Day will be at the usual time of 7:15, and I will be taking part again in the annual Kennedy Township parade later in the morning.
This Wednesday evening our eighth graders graduate from St. Malachy School. I offer my congratulations to all our graduates, whether from eighth grade, high school or college. It is exciting to move on to new ventures. To our eighth grade, please know that it will not be the same around here without you. Godspeed.
Once the eighth grade is gone, we turn our attention to the rest of the school and their great escape for the summer. The last day of school is Thursday, when we will have Mass followed by the “step up” experience. That gives me a chance to see the seventh graders and start thinking of them as our new eighth grade, to think of the sixth grade as our new seventh grade, and so forth. That also gives me a chance to wonder how time can go by so quickly and how the children can grow up so fast.
The last day of school will be somewhat bittersweet this year. It is always great to get to that summertime, when “the living is easy.” But this year there is sadness in saying goodbye to more than just our graduates. Our principal, Mrs. Janet Escovitz, is retiring, as is our long-tenured kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Marianne Pfeifer. We also are losing another of our well loved teachers as Mrs. Christen Glover (formerly “Miss D”) moves to Iowa. I hope that Mrs. Escovitz, Mrs. Pfeifer and Mrs. Glover all know how much we will miss them.
Father H
