Published 6-1-25 bulletin

FR. DAN SHAUGHNESSY

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Over the last two weeks, celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV to the See of Peter on May 8, 2025, I have had a lot of time to pray with this turning point in the history of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church that we all call home. Pondering this election, I share the following insight: What if we have it all wrong, so to speak? Not “throwing stones” at anyone in particular, but what if the Catholic Church in America has it backward? For example, the Archdiocese of St. Louis recently undertook and endured a very difficult self-study, called All Things New. In diocese after diocese across the United States, the Catholic Church is in retreat mode, managing the decline and, in some ways, dare I say, giving up. What if the Apostles had adopted that footing when they were persecuted? What if the Apostles had adopted that footing when things got tough?

I believe the election of Pope Leo XIV is a call to action for the American Catholic Church. We have the Good News! We have the Eucharist, the very Bread of Eternal Life. Maybe God, our Almighty Father, is calling the United States to lead in a very particular way. Are we truly willing to step up? To sacrifice? To lead all to Jesus Christ?

I do not know exactly how this will play out at the parish level in the coming weeks and months. But I invite you to pray with me as we discern God’s will not only for St. Patrick Parish but also for the Catholic Church in America and beyond.

May God bless you all!

Fr. Dan Shaughnessy