Happy Father’s Day! Here are some inspiring Holy Father quotes about the importance of fathers:
Pope Francis: “Children need to find a father waiting for them when they come home after failing.”
“A good father knows how to wait and knows how to forgive from the depths of his heart. Certainly, he also knows how to correct with firmness: He is not a weak father, submissive and sentimental. The father who knows how to correct without humiliating is the one who knows how to protect without sparing himself.”
St. John Paul II: “In revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God, a man is called upon to ensure the harmonious and united development of all the members of the family.”
“Love for his wife as mother of their children and love for the children themselves are for the man the natural way of understanding and fulfilling his own fatherhood … efforts must be made to restore socially the conviction that the place and task of the father in and for the family is of unique and irreplaceable importance.”
Pope Benedict XVI: “God is a Father who never abandons his children, a loving Father who supports, helps, welcomes, forgives, saves, with a fidelity that immensely surpasses that of men, opening up to an eternal dimension.”
This upcoming Friday, June 21st, is Fr. Andrew Gaffney’s 30th Birthday! It is so great having Fr. Andrew here at POP and all his youthful enthusiasm! Let’s shower him with well wishes and prayers this week!
Also coming up next week,14 men will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacon by Archbishop Joseph Naumann on Saturday, June 22nd at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood. Ordination Mass begins at 10:30 am. Those to be ordained permanent deacons are: Lee Butler, Alex Castro, Thomas Doyle, Curtis Keddy, Michael Murray, Gerard Palmieri, Ramiro Rocha, Daniel Schletzbaum, Leon Suprenant, Scott Tampke, Nicolaas tenBroek, Greg Trum, Michael Ulmansiek, and Tim Wise. Please pray for them!
The new Deacon Leon Suprenant is assigned to Prince of Peace. His first Mass assisting as deacon will be here at POP 9am Sunday, June 23rd. Please come to this Mass to celebrate. Deacon Leon will then be serving at the parish after this (along with all his other duties and day job working for the Archdiocese as the Director of the Permanent Diaconate).
In addition, starting July 1st, we welcome (back) Deacon Joe Allen to POP to serve here. Deacon Joe was here at POP for many years before becoming a deacon, but then has been assigned at St. JPII the past years. But now he is to be assigned here. That means we will have 5 permanent deacons helping at POP! How exciting! You will see them at Masses, but remember they do a variety of ministries outside of Masses for the parish and for the Archdiocese. They are a great help, and I am so glad to have such a fine crew. There will be introductions for Deacon Leon and Deacon Joe in the next couple weeks.
May God the Father bless all the fathers today and make them more like Himself!
Peace,
Father Greg