In January of 1996, a modern interpretation of Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme opened off Broadway. The show, called Rent, enjoyed a successful 12-year run and many of the songs of its score still play on in the minds of its fans. One of Rent’s more popular tunes, entitled “Seasons of Love,” asks a simple yet provocative question: How do you measure a year?

Grace and peace to you, today and always. As we enter the Second Week of Advent and prepare for the sacred “launch” of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, I am pleased to inform you of two wonderful additions to our parish leadership. With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Sr. Carol Barnes, SC and Mr. Stephen Weyer, Esq, have graciously agreed to take on the role of parish trustees, effective January 1, 2016. As trustees, Sr. Carol and Steve will approve our fiscal operations, guide and endorse developments in our mission, and advise me on matters of substance that will be brought to them regularly. I’m sure you know both of these good people --if not from their contributions, then certainly by their faces!

Misericordiae Vultus BULL OF INDICTION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY by His Holiness Pope Francis

The title of the great feast we celebrate today --the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe—is obviously filled with language and imagery that, in the 21st century, convey a clear sense of exclusiveness. A male monarch, who’s in charge of absolutely everything, doesn’t sound like the easiest person in the world to befriend! But at the time of St. Ignatius Loyola, such imagery was considered beautifully compelling, and easy to relate to, especially when considering the power structures of his day. Ignatius was born in 1491, the year before Columbus was commissioned by a king and queen to find a western pathway to the Orient. He was brought up in a culture that honored chivalry, heroism, and courtliness above the more humble virtues of Christianity. And so it is no surprise that Ignatius, as he composed his Spiritual Exercises, would be sure to include at least one meditation focusing on “kingship.”

Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ, today and always. By the time you read this column (unless you’re one of those among us who check the parish website for an advanced look at our bulletins!), our Holy Father Pope Francis will have visited our fair city and departed. Frs. Peter, Sean, and I will have attended the papal mass at Madison Square Garden along with a lucky group of our parishioners. The prayer vigils preceding the pope’s visit will have happened.

I hope you are having a wonderful summer, filled with grace and peace. As we look toward Autumn, a few important events for the life of the church are making their approach. First, as you must know by now, Pope Francis will visit New York City later in September and celebrate a Mass at Madison Square Garden on the evening of Friday, September 25th. Each parish in the Archdiocese is awaiting a share of tickets for this amazing liturgy. I don’t know how many tickets we will receive or when they will be coming so please stay tuned to our website and bulletin. We will post more information as soon as we have it.

Many thanks to those of you who supported the Fr. Ned Coughlin SJ Shelter Naming Project. At the start, our hope was to sell 1,000 raffle tickets to pay for some much-needed renovations to the shelter. But through the wonderful efforts of both parishioners and Mission volunteers, we actually sold 1,113 tickets and thus were able to raise the level of each prize.

What a difference eleven years can make! That’s how long it’s been since I joined the Society of Jesus. Some days, it feels like a lifetime --other days, no more than a long weekend. But over a decade has passed to be sure. And I am writing these words to you on the third anniversary of my ordination.

Grace and peace to you in Jesus Christ, today and always. As we continue to move through the month of May, dedicated to our Blessed Mother, may Mary intercede for all of us to bring us the blessings of her Son.

A very happy and blessed Mothers Day to the wonderful mothers, grandmothers, (and their children) in our parish and everywhere. During a month that we dedicate to our Blessed Mother Mary, this particular Sunday seems extra special. And so we celebrate motherhood in its diverse and sacred expressions. On a personal note, I am very grateful for your prayers and good wishes as I recently helped my own mom make her transition from independent to assisted living. She’s in, and making friends already!

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would [people] believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.” Such words remind me of how we can look at Easter from different perspectives: Was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead a one-time cosmic event or is it something more enduring and pervasive, continuing to dynamically unfold every moment of our lives?

Grace and peace to you through our Lord Jesus Christ, today and always. I hope you had a wonderful summer and found some time to enjoy the lighter side of life over the past few months.

Grace and peace to you, today and always. I am delighted to introduce a new (albeit temporary) member of our parish staff to you: Rev. James Keenan SJ, who will be with us for the month of August.

Many of you know Larry Ling, a very dedicated parishioner and familiar face at Xavier. Larry was extremely generous to our parish during the Christmas and Easter flower collections and, in both cases, made it clear that his gifts were made in honor of his beloved, late mother, Elvira. I was really touched by Larry’s generosity but more so by his devotion to his mom. So I invited him to write about her.