Dear Parishioners, This Sunday we conclude the special Jubilee Year of the Holy Spirit in our Diocese of Kalamazoo. It has been a time of prayer and celebration as our diocese has celebrated our 50th Anniversary. Bishop Bradley called for this special time of prayer so that we could ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the years to come. We see, on this celebration of Pentecost, how the Holy Spirit gave life to the Church and courage to the Apostles. We are all meant to go out and proclaim the message of the Gospel to all the nations. May the Spirit continue to inspire us to do so! Please note that there is a special celebration this Sunday, June 5, at the Cathedral from 2:00-5:00 pm to close the Jubilee Year. All are welcome to attend. Our diocese also celebrates the ordination of a new priest this weekend: Fr. Jacob Thomas! We rejoice that the Lord has blessed us with another priest. As he celebrates his First Mass of Thanksgiving today, please keep him in your prayers as he begins his priestly ministry. The ordination of Fr. Thomas is just another example of your support of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal at work. You have heard me say before, it takes many years for a candidate to finish his studies for the priesthood. Your support of the appeal and your prayers are a vital part of the education and training for each priest that is ordained. From early news that I have gathered about summer assignments, we know we are short at least two priests because of the death of Fr. Farrell earlier this year and the retirement of another priest with the summer assignments. Please continue to pray for vocations. I ask for your support of the Bishop’s Appeal so that the Church of Kalamazoo may continue to have the priests we need to carry out the work of the Gospel. If you haven’t made your pledge to the Bishop’s Appeal, we need to hear from you. Please prayerfully consider a pledge to the appeal and return your pledge card as soon as possible. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark