The open air Mass and reception concluded a daylong parish celebration. Earlier in the day, the parish hosted the annual Priests vs. Seminarians Basketball game and organized several family activities for parishioners.
“Everything seems to change,” Bishop Gerald Barnes said during the Mass. “Today we give thanks for the one thing that has remained constant here: the faith of the people in San Jacinto. We thank God for that.”
In his homily, Bishop Barnes reflected on the invitation of the 72 disciples to join the 12 apostles in evangelization. God calls all to serve, he said. Each person plays a role and has an opportunity to impact a group or individual.
“The Lord says the 12 are not enough. I need the 72,” Bishop Barnes said. “They are the ones to carry out the word into their everyday lives. They are you. You have a job and the rewards are out of this world.”
At the conclusion of the Mass, Bishop Barnes presented Fr. Subosa with an Episcopal Blessing commemorating the parish’s anniversary. He also blessed the proposed plans for a new parish and school campus to be built on the corner of Lyon and Commonwealth Avenues.
“God willing in a few years, if everyone cooperates, you will have a new church. The church that you will build is to feed you, in Word and Sacrament, so that you may go out and take God’s presence into the world,” Bishop Barnes said.