The Gift of Family

     This past Holy Week was a great experience of family for me, in it's various dimensions.

     Palm Sunday morning I shared the liturgy with my priest family at our chapel at the Neumann House, the priests' retirement residence for the Diocese of Greensburg.  It was a great way to begin this week that we call Holy.

     Later that afternoon I joined with a large group of parishioners at the Church of Saint Paul in Greensburg for a parish Palm Sunday dinner.  I was graciously invited and welcomed again this year to this annual event.  I served as pastor of Saint Paul from 1992 to 2000, and in my retirement they have become my adopted parish were I often join them for liturgy.  Great people and many wonderful friends.

     On Thursday morning I missed the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral for only the third time in my priesthood.  A visit to Uniontown of eight family members from Costa Rica - a cousin, two of her children, a spouse of her son, and four grandchildren - led me home to join them for lunch along with my sister, Jane.  We had a great visit, a delicious lunch, and the joy of the youngsters.

My cousin Joy Stoviak Flores and her daughter, Jenifer

 Jenifer and her two children

Joy's son, Isra's wife and two chilren

     Thursday evening I returned for our Neumann House Evening Liturgy celebrating our priesthood, followed by a social and then a special dinner for this special day for priests.  There are fifteen of us in residence here.

     Good Friday (for the afternoon service and for the evening Tenebrae Service) and the Easter Vigil on Saturday night I spent with my Saint Paul family, with beautiful and prayerful liturgies, music and decorations.  A truly holy experience.

     And finally on Easter morning I traveled home to Saint Joseph Church in Uniontown to celebrate the 10:00 am Mass.  In addition to the standing room only crowd were my Costa Rican relatives and a host of other local cousins and their families.  We posed for a group picture (by the way, there are more cousins not pictured here: some from out of town and some who went to the 8:00 am so that they could prepare brunch).

A part of the Stoviak Clan including the Kula, Flowers and the Flores families: in this picture I believe I count five cousins, their children and grandchildren.

     Family is a great gift ... where ever that experience of family manifests itself.  As I have been saying more and more often in my "old age", I am truly blessed.

     I hope that you know the joy of family and that Easter continues to be a time of blessing for you.