Author: Anne Marie Kearney

Fifth Sunday of Easter – Sunday, May 3, 2026

Reflection by: Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, T.O.R.

My sisters and brothers in Christ,

May the peace of the Lord Jesus be with you. We begin the Fifth Sunday of Easter. As we listen to today’s Gospel from St John, we hear comforting words from Jesus. Jesus is telling his disciples not to be anxious about his impending departure. He assures them that he is preparing a place for them in heaven. He reminds them that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is the only way to the Father, the embodiment of divine truth and the source of eternal life.

Philip’s question about seeing the Father prompts Jesus to explain that seeing Him is seeing the Father, this highlights their inseparable nature.

The Easter Season will conclude on Pentecost Sunday—fifty days after Jesus resurrection (May 24^th). May the remainder of this Easter season continue to inspire us to do all that we can to courageously live the Gospel and be faithful witnesses of our Catholic faith. God bless you.

Mis hermanas y hermanos en Cristo,

Que la paz del Señor Jesús este contigo. Comenzamos el Quinto Domingo de Pascua. Al escuchar hoy el evangelio de san Juan, recibimos palabras confortantes de Jesús. Jesús les dice a sus discípulos que no estén ansiosos acerca de su partida inminente. Él les asegura que está preparando un lugar para ellos en el cielo. Les recuerda que él es el Camino, la Verdad y la Vida. Jesús es el único camino al Padre, la encarnación de la verdad divina y la fuente de la vida eterna.

La pregunta de Filipo acerca de ver al Padre lleva a Jesús a explicar que verlo a El es ver al Padre, esto resalta su naturaleza inseparable.

El tiempo de Pascua termina el Domingo de Pentecostés-cincuenta días después de la resurrección de Jesús (24 de mayo). Que el resto de este tiempo de Pascua siga inspirándonos a hacer todo lo que podamos para vivir valientemente el Evangelio y ser testigos fieles de nuestra fe Católica. Dios los bendiga.

Franciscan Holy Year/Jubilee ~ January 10, 2026 -January 10, 2027

On the Occasion of the Celebration of the 800^th Celebration of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi 1226-2026

Our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this year we are celebrating the 800^th anniversary of the death, or transitus, of Saint Francis. The ministers General of the whole Franciscan family have called all Franciscans to celebrate what they have called the Easter of Francis of Assisi. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV has invoked a Jubilee Year, often referred to as a holy year, for all believers to share in this commemoration of Saint Francis entering into heaven. What a wonderful gift for the whole Church!

In contemporary society, we rarely think about death, not only because it reminds us that we are limited creatures, but also because it exposes the false security we get from believing that we are masters over time and life. Saint Francis, on the other hand, welcomed Sister Death with song in his Canticle of the Creatures, the Canticle of Brother Sun, because he understood that death is not the termination of everything but the end that allows us to enter into full communion with God. Indeed, life is a gift that must be given back: “Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!” (Francis of Assisi, Letter to the Entire Order #29)

At the end of his days, Saint Francis contemplated his life and discovered the presence and action of the Lord everywhere. Thus, in his Testament he repeats, like a refrain: “The Lord gave me, Brother Francis… The Lord gave me such faith in churches… The Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith… And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel” (Testament 1-14).

The celebration of the 800^th anniversary of the Easter of Saint Francis invites us to contemplate our lives, both personally and as Catholics, with the eyes of faith, and by doing so, perceive the divine presence and action in everything, even in the difficult and dramatic situations we have experienced or are experiencing now.

It is an opportunity to thank God for all the gifts he has bestowed on us, particularly (on this occasion) for the gift of Saint Francis of Assisi and his evangelical life, which has become a light to the world reflecting the greater Light who is Christ for the world, and which today still has the strength to call out to women and men of all cultures, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.

And finally, celebrating the passing of the Poverello (the little poor one) is an occasion to remember that we are all called to holiness, and that like Saint Francis, we are invited to reflect the beauty of the gospel, because “holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” (Pope Francis, Gaudete et exsultate 9).

So, in this spirit we welcome all those who come to Saint Patrick in South Tampa to share in the light of the faith of Saint Francis, to experience the rich blessings of this Jubilee and Eighth Centenary of his transitus from this life to life with God. May you be inspired to, as Francis told his brothers at the end of his life: “Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.”

Yours in Christ and Saint Francis,

Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, TOR Fr. Alberto F. Bueno, TOR

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Pope Leo XIV Declares Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi | Gulf Coast Catholic

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/letters/2026/documents/20260107-lettera-morte-sf.html

https://www.centenarifrancescani.org/index.php/en