As many of you know by now, Mother Church has seen fit to cancel St. Patrick's Day in this year of the Lord 2008. There is a rule in the Church that no feast day can take place during the most sacred Holy Week when we especially recall how our Lord suffered and died on the cross. We also know that the occasion of cancelling St. Patrick's Day can only happen when Easter falls on March 22nd or 23rd (the latter of which being the case this year). During the last time that Easter fell on March 23rd, William Taft and Woodrow Wilson served as presidents of the United States in 1913. The next time we celebrate Easter on March 23rd, we will be in the year 2160, 152 years from now. It is very unlikely that anyone in these pews experienced the cancellation of this feast almost 100 years ago and I doubt anyone will be around for the next time the cancellation takes place.

All this being said, Mother Church has cancelled St. Patrick's Day this year. Since you are all wearing green today, I am guessing that you are not in favor of this declaration.

One thing I can say about St. Patrick, though, in lieu of today's start of Holy Week, is that this 5^th century saint understood about the type of suffering Christ endured and willingly chose to live the life of suffering anyway. An abused slave from Britain during his formative years, Patrick was able to escape from his captors and return back to his native land to live in freedom. Despite his suffering (some say because of his suffering), Patrick chose to become a priest in order to return to the land of his slavery in order to minister and free the other captives from the land he so much loved. Because of his fierce dedication to the Irish faithful, St. Patrick became a legend and model upon which the Irish believers chose to live their lives.

I think it is because of this life of sacrifice and suffering that Patrick chose to lead that this particular parish was named in his honor some 170 years ago. Formed by first and second generation Irish immigrants, this parish in the middle of nowhere became a symbol of hope during a time of grand change in the life of our country. As the State of Illinois experienced her growth as she joined the United Republic of States in 1818, St. Patrick's became one of the first Catholic Churches in Northern Illinois to take root on this sacred land.

Some seventeen pastors and scores of the faithful sacrificed dearly so that we would be able to celebrate our 170^th Palm Sunday together as a body of Christ. For this we are grateful, both for the suffering St. Patrick who became a role model for the Irish faith and for the suffering Jesus Christ who became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Over these last two years, I have had the honor of commemorating some of the highlights that this parish has offered the faithful of Joliet, from the anniversary celebrations we commemorate this year to the Masses in honor of Fr. Vytas Memenas, the fourteenth pastor who saved our school and whom we have honored twice this year. The diocese has helped me prepare for these wonderful events as I began my tenure as pastor and yet there is one important celebration that we have yet to fulfill. This celebration has to do with Fr. Jim Lennon, my immediate predecessor.

Last September, I called Fr. Lennon and requested the honor for us to celebrate his 50^th Anniversary as a priest here at St. Patrick's. I told Fr. Jim that the people of Marion and Willow would be honored to remember the impact that he had made on this community. Fr. Lennon's initial response to this request was "no." In his mind, Fr. Jim thought that this parish had honored him enough and that he would be taking advantage of such good people by trying their patience with yet another celebration in his honor.

To this argument, I responded to Fr. Jim by stating that as much as this celebration would be in his honor (and Fr. Jim certainly deserves this honor for the sacrifices he has made for our behalf), his anniversary Mass was not really about him anyway. His anniversary Mass is about you, the faithful, and the brotherhood of the Catholic priesthood. Because of the prayers of people like all of you, God chose this particular individual to come from the ranks of the common priesthood in order to become ordained and celebrate the sacraments. The celebration is a thanksgiving for vocations, specifically one vocation, and the extent to which this one vocation has made a difference to this community for over eleven years. This celebration is a reminder that we are called to promote the ministry of the ordained priesthood and the religious life so that the faith life of St. Patrick's Church may continue for years to come. Without this ministry, the tradition of St. Patrick's Church ceases to exist. Because of your prayers and support of your clergy, the faith life grows by leaps and bounds.

Granted, the life of the priest is not an easy one, but neither is that of any ministry that requires sacrifice. For the parent that constantly worries about their child or a friend that dotes on someone they love, the priest is called to do the same for the flock he shepherds. It is of this faith from Fr. Lennon that makes us grateful for the priesthood.

Because of this response and the encouragement of other parishioners, Fr. Jim relented and chose to allow this celebration to happen. So, on May 30^th at 4:00 p.m. (the last day of school), Fr. Jim will be joined by three bishops, his family, friends, and you, to this wonderful event and the reception that follows the Mass. If we care about Fr. Jim and the ministry he offered, I encourage you not just to fill the church but to pack the block. I encourage you to come in droves to make a statement about this man's ministry. It is the right and honorable thing to do. It is the response we must make to honor Fr. Jim's sacrifice, just as we spend the next week honoring Christ's infinitely more important sacrifice on that cross.

I encourage you to read the bulletin for more information, both concerning Fr. Jim's Mass and all upcoming liturgies at St. Patrick's Church. May we learn to sacrifice as our former pastors, as St. Patrick, and as our Lord sacrificed for our salvation.

This is our prayer.