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 and your family. Last week we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church and the conclusion of the Easter Season. Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity and the following week we will celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). These are beautiful feasts that remind us of what we do and who we receive.

Today’s feast of the Holy Trinity is a constant reminder of our belief in the Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Sign of the Cross is a continual reminder of this mystery. We make the sign of the cross when we begin our prayers, we bless ourselves when we enter the church with the Holy Water that reminds us of our Baptism, the Mass concludes with the sign of the cross.

Our basic belief in the Trinity comes out of our attempt to know who Jesus is and to know about the special relationship Jesus has with the Father and with the Spirit who was sent from the Father and the Son. Our knowledge of Jesus comes from the teaching of the apostles, the gospels and the letters of St Paul. The fundamental elements of our belief in the Trinity come from these sources. It is interesting to note that the word TRINITY referring to God did not come about until the year 200 AD. It took about 125 years for this doctrine to be formulated in the Nicene Creed which was drawn up at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.

Mis hermanas y hermanos en Cristo. Que la paz del Señor Jesus este contigo y tu familia. La semana pasada celebramos la fiesta de Pentecostés, el nacimiento de la Iglesia y la conclusión del tiempo Pascual. Hoy celebramos la Solemnidad de la Santísima Trinidad y la semana próxima celebraremos la Solemnidad del Santísimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo (Corpus Christi). Estas son fiestas maravillosas que nos recuerdan lo que hacemos y a quien recibimos.

La fiesta de hoy de la Santísima Trinidad es un recuerdo constante de nuestra creencia en el Dios Triuno- el Padre, el Hijo y el Espíritu Santo. La Señal de la Cruz es un recuerdo constante de este misterio. Hacemos la señal de la cruz     cuando comenzamos con nuestras oraciones, cuando entramos a la iglesia nos santiguamos con el agua bendita que nos recuerda de nuestro Bautismo, y la Misa termina con la señal de la cruz.

Nuestra creencia básica en la Trinidad proviene de un intento por saber quien es Jesús y saber acerca de la relación especial que Jesús tiene con su Padre y con el Espíritu enviado del Padre y el Hijo. Nuestro conocimiento de Jesús proviene de las enseñanzas de los apóstoles, los evangelios y las cartas de san Pablo. Los elementos fundamentales de nuestra creencia en la Trinidad provienen de estos orígenes. Como nota interesante, la palabra TRINIDAD, refiriéndose a Dios, no apareció hasta el año 200 DC. Esta doctrina tardó unos 125 años en ser plasmada en el Credo de Nicea, redactada en el Concilio de Nicea en el año 325 d. C.

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

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

BINGO & DINNER

Tuesday

2026 Dates: June 9th, July 14th, August 11th, September 8th, October 13th, November 10th, December 1st

St. Patrick Catholic Church

Social Hall

Dinner served between 5:30pm- 6:30pm. 

Bingo will start at 6:30pm.

Cost: $25.00

Includes 9 pack of 13 sheets (26 games)

and 4 specials. MUST BE 18 TO PLAY.

TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR ONLY.

*Meals subject to Change