This month St. George parish celebrates ten years as a parish. It was June of 2016 that I celebrated the first Mass for St. George, in what we call "the barn"; a small room in a former barn (!) that could squeeze about 25 people at one time. We outgrew it after a few years, and had to purchase this little church that we are in now. And here we are at ten years in, and we are getting ready to purchase another piece of land in order to build a bigger church because we have outgrown this one.
While we are not celebrating St. George's 250th year as a parish, we can be confident that our little celebration this month is a small picture of the work of Christ throughout the world over the last two millennia. In actuality, the Church is celebrating (about) 1993 years since the founding of the Church on the first Pentecost of A.D. 33. What will Jesus be doing with St. George parish in the coming years? Decades? Centuries? Only our faithfulness will reveal that.
God poured His grace on us for His glory and our salvation. Let us make it our determination to do the work necessary in building a new church building so that our great, great, great, great, great grandchildren can worship in it. Do not let the world distract you from this powerful task that Christ has given to us. We are laying the foundation for the future. Ask God (even daily), "what is the work that I am to be doing for St. George parish's future?"
Couples, you are supposed to be giving an example of the love of Christ and the Church for each other. Parents, you are preparing children to be an influence on this fallen world; teach them how to live the faith and tell others about it. Every one of us is called to do our work of growing the Kingdom. Each in our own way, we can be a part of this great work. Numerous people did their part to get St. George this far, and every one of you can be a part of getting this parish another ten, twenty, even a hundred years.
If God wills, I would rejoice to be here as the pastor of St. George when I retire in about 13 or 14 years. I do not care if my name is remembered, as long as I can work to have Christ's name still professed faithfully and reverently at St. George long after I am gone. What is your part? There are no useless people in the body of Christ, only people who refuse to be of use. Let us do the work that will last for one thousand generations.