Sunday July 30, 2023
Many Firsts, Laments and Joys
You may have heard the buzz of a drone, but I bet you have never seen one in church. The videographer at the first wedding I presided at here in St. Joachim utilized a drone for the opening and closing processions. What a joyful and fulfilling liturgy with a couple well prepared by Deacon Javier for the Sacrament of Matrimony. We even have a birds eye view to remember it by!
I will reflect on the month gone by the first week of the month here in Pastors Postcard. I hope I made a good first impression. I am grateful for the parish receptions that took place in early July granting the opportunity for us to meet one another. I loved the altar server who introduced himself in such a way that I might recall his name, “I am Julio like the month, and this is Orlando like the city in Florida.” I certainly will remember the fun and food we shared during our parish celebration of Saint Joachim. Thank you Antonio Gonzalez, Francisco Castillo, and Stephanie Hernandez who chaired the event and all our parish groups that lent a hand!
Highlights of the month include greeting the many of you who walk to church on Sundays. Seeing Fr. Fredy on the threshold of the main doors for his first liturgy here was a poignant moment for me as I know the health obstacles he worked through to arrive at that moment. Fr. Mike and I are happy to see him back after his mother’s funeral in Colombia. I was also moved by the smile of Fr. Taposh as he responded to four sick calls in one day! He was on duty, not me.
I also realize while there are smiles from the heart of cheerful givers, there are also frowns from those lamenting the loss our community experienced over the last months around clergy. Grief has its ownschedule. One of the purposes of grief is to help those experiencing loss adjust to the new reality – life without that person or thing or an unpalatable change. Whatever the loss, and however we grieve, eventually we want to arrive at acceptance and move forward together. Our faith, knowing and feeling that we are led by the Holy Spirit, the consoler, with Jesus at our side, helps us on the journey together. Scripture says that faith is what makes us pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6). I think God our Father is well pleased with our community. Thank you for your perseverance and your love and support for your priests and deacons and one another!
In Christ,
Rev. Robert P. Capone
