Thank You!

From the Pastor:    Thank You!

       Last weekend we celebrated our Parish Feast Day and I give thanks to Almighty God for the wonderful weather He sent us! Some years it has been too hot, other years, too cold. One year it was wet. This year it was just about as perfect as an early January Sunday afternoon could be. The ancient boiler had been cranked up before the 7:30 am Mass to take the chill out of the air and then turned off once Mass started. Everyone was warm and toasty. Later, some group of frozen people convinced the sacristan to start it back up again before the 10:30 Mass, complaining that they weren’t penguins. I sweated the whole time I was celebrating the Mass, the ushers in the back opened the doors because they said it was sweltering back there, too, and when I gave my homily I saw some people fanning themselves and still others wearing parkas and scarves as if they were sitting on an iceberg. Yet when we made it outside for the banquet after Mass, I didn’t hear a single complaint about it being the wrong temperature. The gelato cart had longer lines than we had anticipated, indicating that it wasn’t too cold. Nobody got a sunburn while waiting for a scoop of that deliciousness, nor did the gelato melt before it could be eaten, indicating that it wasn’t too hot, either. Yes, we had Goldilocks weather: it was just right. Thank You, Lord!
       I also wish to thank the Epiphany Council of Catholic Women (ECCW) for putting it all together. The amount of planning, wheeling and dealing, purchasing, calling, writing, begging, and other labors of love they put into it again this year paid off. We have all been blessed by the hard work and dedication of the ladies in the guild. Thank you!
       I believe that there will be a separate article somewhere in this bulletin thanking many of the people who worked so hard at the festival so I will refrain from naming them individually or by group with one exception. I want to thank all of the parishioners who encouraged us to put it on again this year and who showed up to make it a joyful experience. After all, having the best workers in the world doesn’t make for a good festival if nobody wants it or shows up to enjoy it!
       For those of you who were so unfortunate as to be out of town or otherwise indisposed and couldn’t attend our celebration, Let me try to paint you a word picture of what marvels you missed. To begin with, we had most of our seating outdoors this year but those who wished to have a little shelter from the incredible weather could choose to sit at tables inside the social hall or in the classrooms. A dozen or so tents were set up to provide shade and, fortunately, were not necessary as rain shelters. Waiters and waitresses passed through the crowds with plates of Beluga caviar, Wagyu Beef tartare, Foie Gras Torchon, and Oysters Rockefeller. The Orchestra played in the background while the people sipped complimentary glasses of Dom Perignon. For the main meal there was a choice of a 32 ounce Tomahawk Ribeye steak, jumbo stone crab claws, or piles of kielbasa and pierogies. No, wait, that is the menu for next year. Sorry about that. My mistake. Getting back to reality, though, let me share with you how an old church bulletin described our very first Epiphany Festival (01/06/2016) after I became the pastor. 
       ...The parish feast day, as I mentioned, fell on a Wednesday. We had a low Mass at 9:00 am which was attended by 20 people. That’s not too bad a turnout for a daily Mass in a place where the average travel time is approximately 45 minutes each way! But the big celebration at 6:00 pm was the real test, and a test that was passed with flying colors. Sixty eight families showed up for the High Mass and potluck which followed. Think about that for just a moment. Having a Mass start at 6:00 pm on a weeknight makes it difficult for everybody (except the priest!). Those who got off work at 5:00 had to battle rush hour traffic. The Sung Mass lasts about an hour and a half, so those who have trouble driving at night knew they would need assistance getting home. Those with children in school knew that they would be dealing with hungry kids who would be losing a night of homework and study time. Everybody had to plan a potluck meal (which might, of necessity, mean a trip to the Publix deli between the workplace and the church, as there would be no way of cooking!). The schola members had to get to church early enough to get settled and rehearsed before Mass. The altar boys (and their families) had to be there early to get everything set up. And, far from insignificantly, people had to spend the day getting everything beautified in the social hall to make the grand ball truly grand!
    Yet more than 60 families showed up for a non-obligatory weeknight Mass! Normally we count people rather than families but this time the family count was easier to get accurately. For after Mass I handed out to each family an Epiphany home blessing kit consisting of a paper explaining how to do the Epiphany home blessing, a piece of blessed chalk to mark the door lintel with 20+C+M+B+16 and, of course, exorcised and blessed Holy Water (with exorcised and blessed Holy Salt dissolved in it).... 
       We have come a long way since then! Ad Multos Annos!

With prayers for your holiness,
Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka