May is the month of _________.  Most Catholics, I hope, would fill-in the blank with Mary, the Mother of God.  The Church has a very long tradition of honoring Mary as God's chosen one who brought our Savior, Jesus Christ, into the world. She is also respected as a great intercessor before the throne of God.  The Bible tells us that at the wedding feast of Cana, Mary said to the waiters "Do whatever He tell you" (John 2:5), and Jesus responded to Mary's request and turned water into wine.  Mary is also a model disciple who treasured what Jesus said in her heart and put His words into action in her life.  There is much to be commended in our devotion and prayers for Mary's intercession.  A caution, however, is in order to guard against anything that might elevate Mary to a position that might put her on the same level of her Son, Jesus Christ.  This would be the last thing that the humble virgin of Nazareth would want.  Everything, I believe she would say, should point to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, the one who changed death into eternal life for us all.

I talked before Mass a couple of weekends ago about my recent visit to the House of Formation for our seminarians in Little Rock.  We celebrated Mass in the chapel that was sponsored by the state Knights of Columbus.  We then shared a meal prepared by Diego Miceli of our parish in the dining room that was paid for by a donation from our parish.  The furnishings for the dining room were purchased using the money that was raised last year at our Lasagna fundraiser that was spearheaded by our local Knights of Columbus 10208.  I continually give thanks to God for those who are committed to supporting the men who are being formed for the priesthood for our wonderful diocese.  We will all have a chance to join in this ongoing effort when we have our next fundraising dinner for the House of Formation this July at our second fundraiser.  The exact date of this event and more details will be announced in the near future.  It is truly a blessing to be connected to a parish that is taking such a lead (that, hopefully, will inspire other parishes to do so) in supporting vocations to the priesthood.  Please keep up the prayers for this important cause as well.

I am away from Sacred Heart Church for part of this weekend to participate in the annual state convention of the Knights of Columbus in Jonesboro.  As the state chaplain of the Knights, I am blessed to be the celebrant of the Saturday morning (7:00 a.m.) Mass for all brother Knights from around the state who died since the last convention.  We celebrate the blessings that flowed to and from our brother Knights, and ask that God's love and mercy bring them to heaven if they are not already there.  I am always impressed by the large turnout of Knights at this early morning Mass, especially since we will have Mass later in the day with Bishop Taylor as the main celebrant at which all Knights at the convention attend.  This testifes to the faith and faith lives of so many of my brother Knights.  As I have been to more than a few of these state conventions, I must say that since coming to Sacred Heart Church and participating in our wonderfully-active council (10208), I go with a sense of pride, not in a boastful way, that our council and assembly stand so strong in the hallmarks of the order: Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism, as a light for others to see, and I pray, imitate.  I urge men of our parish who are currently not members of the Knights of Columbus, to pray about it, and consider joining us soon.  I truly believe it helps us to walk more closely with the Lord in our faith journey.