Text Box: THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD Today we celebrating departure of our Lord Jesus to Heaven. The Ascension of the Lord is observed always 40 days after Easter. This year, it was on Thursday May 21st. In the USA, many ecclesiastical provinces, also our diocese, transferred this celebration to the 7th Sunday after Easter, this May 24th. It is the final act of our redemption that Christ began on Good Friday. On this day, the risen Christ, in the sight of His apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven. The reality of the Ascension is so important that the creeds (the basic statements of belief) of Christianity all affirm, in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, that "He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead." The denial of the Ascension is as grave a departure from Christian teaching as is denial of Christ's Resurrection. Christ's bodily Ascension foreshadows our own entrance into Heaven not simply as souls, after our death, but as glorified bodies, after the resurrection of the dead at the Final Judgment. In redeeming mankind, Christ not only offered salvation to our souls but began the restoration of the material world itself to the glory that God intended before Adam's fall. By the late fourth century, the feast of the Ascension was celebrated in some parts of the church on the fortieth day after Easter (see Acts. 1:3, 9-11). Originally, this mystery of the ending of Jesus’ visible presence among his followers seems to have been observed as part of the outpouring of the Spirit on the 50th day, or Pentecost. For the first time, the original 50-day festival was broken. The weekdays between the Ascension and Pentecost are a preparation period for the outpouring of the Spirit. It is popularly called the Pentecost Novena (see Acts 1:14).The Feast of the Ascension marks the beginning of the first novena, or nine days of prayer. Before His Ascension, Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to His apostles. Their prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit, which began on Ascension Thursday, ended with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, ten days later. PENTECOST On the next Sunday, May 31st we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday - the commemoration of sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Blessed Virgin Mary. The Easter season lasts for fifty days, ending with Pentecost (from the Greek pent ekoste, “fiftieth”). Ranking second only to Easter, the feast of Pentecost must be understood in the con­text of the Jewish feast by the same name. Its other name in Jewish tradition is Feast of Weeks, a full season of seven weeks of thanksgiving beginning with Passover Sabbath (see Tobias 2:1; 2 Macabees 12:32). This prolonged festival celebrated the theme of harvest and thanksgiving. It evolved before the time of Christ into a memorial of the covenant and, by 300 C.E., a memorial of the giving of the Law. By the end of the 2nd century, Christians were observing a similar fifty day festival of rejoicing after the annual Pascha. It seems that, originally, the followers of Jesus continued to observe the Jewish festival, a time of “first fruits” (see 1 Corinthians 16:8 and 15:20, 23) rather than a distinctly new theme. During these weeks, fasting and kneeling were forbidden because of the joyful experience of Text Box: the resurrection. By the late 4th century, the feast of the Ascension was celebrated in some parts of the church on the fortieth day after Easter (see Acts 1:3, 9-11). Originally, this mystery of the ending of Jesus’ visible presence among his followers seems to have been observed as part of the outpouring of the Spirit on the 50th day, or Pentecost. For the first time, the original 50-day festival was broken. The weekdays between the Ascension and Pentecost are a preparation period for the outpouring of the Spirit. It is popularly called the Pentecost Novena (see Acts 1:14). Pentecost itself closes out the Easter season. It celebrates the overwhelming experience of God pouring out the Spirit upon the first community of those who believed Jesus was the Lord and Christ (see Acts 2:1-4). Pentecost is called, therefore, the birth of the church or the birth of the church’s mission. The color of vestments and decorations for Pentecost is red. It symbolizes the intense love and fire of the Holy Spirit. Other symbols of the Pentecost event are the dove (see Luke 3:21-22), the tongues of flame (see Acts 2:1-4), and wind (see Acts 2:2). ST. ANNE’S GUILD CORNER: Congratulations to the new slate of officers who will lead the Guild next year: Sara Cumbelich, president, Mary Muth, Vice President, Bill Duffy, treasurer, and Lily Mullen, secretary. A heartfelt THANK YOU goes to this past year’s officers who worked tirelessly for our parish: Grace da Silva, Linda Fealy, Hugo da Silva, Bill Duffy and Frances Geiger. Join us on Saturday, May 30 for the installation Mass at 11 am, and end of year brunch which will follow in the parish hall. Everyone is welcome. Scheduled upcoming events, please mark your calendars! Saturday, May 30, Guild Officers Installation Mass @ 11 am, and end of year brunch. Sunday, July 19 @ 3 pm; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel BBQ. Sunday, October 4; Harvest Bake sale, after all Masses. Sunday October 18; St. Margaret Mary Feast Day Dinner- @ 3 pm Sunday, December 13, Gaudete Bake Sale; after all Masses. ST. MARGARET MARY JOBS NETWORK Have you lost your job? Do you know someone who is hiring?  Are you an employer with job opportunities?  Because many people have lost their jobs recently in our declining economy, a number of