Eventful Blessings in September
September has started as an eventful month for us. It began with the Labor Day which gave us the opportunity to have a break to appreciate the value of work and to thank God, the primordial worker, who created us in his image. Two days later, on the 3rd, we celebrated the feast of our patron saint, St. Gregory the Great. We gathered as a parish with all the students, teachers, staff and parents of our school, and thanked God for the gift of St Gregory the Great is to us. After four days, on 7th, we witness the canonization of two saints, Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.
In the Holy Mass, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, officially admits these two young persons into the list of saints in the Church. The Pope does not make people saints; he recognizes their heroic witnessing and includes them in the canon or record of recognized saints. This is the first canonization ceremony presided over Pope Leo XIV, and the two persons in question are exceptionally young.
Pope Francis planned to canonize Carlos in April and Pier Giorgio in August, but his death changed the plan. Now, providence has brought them together. Though they lived a century apart, they share remarkable features of heroism in their faith and charity. Both of them made their marks at a very young age; Carlos died at 15 and Pier Giorgio died at the age of 24.
Carlos had an extraordinary devotion to the Eucharist, and he used modern technology, the social media, to promote it. He left us a good example of how modern technology can put be at the service of faith. Pier Giorgio combined prayer, personal sacrifices and political advocacy to serving the needs of the poor. We find in these two saints, models of Christian faith lived in joy and charity for the young today. At this time, the Diocese of Phoenix is having the Synod of Young Adults. This synod which was launched by our Bishop, John Dolan, invites young adults from 18-39 years to come together to “share their ideas and concerns about the Church and society”.
The canonization of Carlos and Pier, and the on-going Synod of Young Adults in our diocese provide our parish an opportunity to think, pray, and act more intentionally towards promoting the youth in our community. Our parish needs the young adults, not only as the hope of the future, but the joy of the present. Let the young adults rise to have their voices heard and their actions be felt. Let us as adults provide them opportunities to participate in the life and mission of the parish. How best can we do this?
Ideas and programs are welcome.
-Fr Bona