Not infrequently people say to me: there’s something different about this parish and school community; what is it?
There are lots of things I could say, but in this Welcome I want to focus on one factor which I think shapes our whole parish. It’s this. We, Fr Bibin and Fr Gordon and I, are Religious priests. Rather than being diocesan priests, we are Rosminians. The formal name of our Order is the Institute of Chairty. That’s why we put IC after our names!
What difference does this make? We Rosminians see ourselves as a family. And so, we also see the communities we are asked to serve as being part of our family too. Welcome, then, to the Blessed Sacrament Parish and School Family.
Priests, Brothers, Sisters and lay Ascribed are the formal members of our Rosminian family. We come from Italy (where we were founded by Blessed Antonio Rosmini), America, Azerbaijan, Colombia, England, France, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Wales, and we are growing. Thank you, Lord.
Our charism or spirituality is very rich, with many layers, because our founder was a man of extraordinary intellect and vision. Central, is our call to universal charity or universal love. What does that mean in practice? It means we Rosminians try to love with our heads, hearts and hands.
A simple yet profound way we can pinpoint who we are is this: Rosminians – love without borders.
First and foremost this means we are called to love you parishioners, and students and staff, and those we meet along the way, without distinction or preference. In Jesus there are no divisions or favourites. Another aspect means that though we as an Order are organized into Provinces we too can be called beyond our ‘borders’. Isn’t great that here in Seminole our Rosminian community comprises an American, an Irishman and an Indian: Our Lord’s universal Church knows no borders!
Please God as our parish grows in faith hope and charity the wonderful vocations to marriage in our midst will be complemented by vocations to the Religious Life. Who will be the next American Rosminian priest or brother? Maybe one of you. Who might be the first American Rosminian Sister?
May our loving God bless you all. Welcome to our family of faith. Together may we grow in our Lord’s all-embracing love.
Fr Rick Pilger IC, Pastor
Fr Bibin Mathew IC, Parochial Vicar
Fr Jimmy Gordon IC, Pastor Emeritus