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Pastoral Message From Fr. Michael For the week of September 5, 2010
THANK YOU, SISTER!
In the study of philosophy and logic, there is a phrase “necessary but not sufficient” to describe certain conditions of being. It means that there are some elements of our normal human life that must be in place, but they alone are not enough to be completely fulfilling. For example, we absolutely need the basics like food, water, and shelter. But these alone do not make us truly human. They are necessary, but not sufficient. 
Words are like that — necessary, but not sufficient.
Sometimes words alone are not enough. We need to say certain
things, but the words alone are not enough. Inadequate to the
necessary and joyful task of gratitude, the words “Thank you”
are sometimes too frail to carry the great weight of thankfulness
that needs to be brought to those who have done much for us.
Yes, they must be spoken — even proclaimed — from the
heart. But often we need more than words. We need an action,
a gesture, an outward sign of what lay deep in our hearts.
Next weekend, the Saint Stanislaus community will say “Thank you” to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, and we will do this with words and with actions. The sisters across the whole country are celebrating this year as their jubilee, 125 years of their presence in the United States. Their first ministry at Saint Stanislaus was in the newly built (1907) elementary school, where the sisters still carry on their ministry to our children. Of course, as the needs of the People of God have changed, so has the generous response of the sisters in their ministries, encompassing many and varied forms of outreach and presence. Ten years after having arrived at Saint Stanislaus, the parish constructed a massive new (1917) convent building containing dozens of private rooms as well as several large rooms for living out the requirements of common life. The large building was needed to house the sisters who taught at what was at one time the largest parochial school in the United States — right here! Over time, the smaller number of sisters were able to be more comfortably in a smaller and more home-like setting, currently in the old Mosinski family home across from the rectory. Of course, the convent building also had seen its day, having served the community well until its demolition last year. Just as the life of the sisters has changed over the decades, so has our campus. Where there had once been a large building to house the sisters, now there is a beautiful and peaceful new park dedicated in their honor — Nazareth Park, a commitment to a long future in a new way. Likewise, we are happy to recommission the fourth floor of the school building, which had been closed for 57 years and is now a sign of future commitment to the ministry so loved by the sisters for over a century. Just as our land and buildings build on the past and create a new future, so also do we pray that the life of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth will continue to build on their proud legacy, and that God will continue to bless them with new sisters to create their new future of service, modeling their lives on the hidden life and virtues of that first Holy Family. Congratulations, sisters! |
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