The power of the Eucharistic meal is beyond all human understanding; it is the Eucharist that binds us with Christ and God our Father, and it binds us together as One.

Once a month, the fourth Sunday of the month, Father John Baptist Pesce, C.P., from Holy Family Monastery and Retreat Center in West Hartford comes to our parish to be the celebrant of the 8 a.m. Mass. Father brings with him more than 60 years of priesthood, 92 years of life experience, and a Doctoral degree in Theology from Rome. We are blessed to have his wisdom and passion for social justice and in leading our Mass celebration.

Recently I received a note from Fr. John in which he told me how much he enjoys coming to St. Catherine of Siena Parish and what it means to him and his priesthood. I thought you would like to see his vantage point on the celebration of our Mass. He said, “Just to express my gratitude to you and the parish in having me there at St. Catherine’s to celebrate the Eucharist when such is my privilege. There is the “feeling” that it is really a celebration of a community, more of a family, and this makes it much more than a matter of obligation. May God continue to bless you…all. ” His words illustrate how powerful your faith-lived-out is to others.

Each time I request priestly coverage for the Masses I hear the same common denominator from those priests: that the people of St. Catherine of Siena are a special breed and that the celebration of the Sacred Eucharist is always joyful and joy-filled—from the music to the readings to the prayerfulness and most especially to the responses of the congregation—not typical in all churches. Fr. John hits the nail on the head when he says it (the celebration of the Mass) is much more than an obligation. Vatican II (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,  Sacrosantum Concilium, solemnly promulgated by Pope Paul VI, 4 December 1963) states that “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy, and to which the Christian people, ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people…’” (1 Pet. 2:9, 4-5) And the way in which you do that certainly feeds and nourishes all the priest-celebrants as well as the congregation in the pews. Thank you!