Greetings and peace from St. Gabriel Catholic Church.
From Fr. Richard: A message and an invitation in these unsettled times
Dear parishioners of St. Gabriel Catholic Church,

As our hearts are deeply troubled by what we are witnessing in these times, may we recall the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: “  Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me .”  John 14:1

The sinful crime witnessed in the death of George Floyd cries out to heaven, as does the violence across our nation that has resulted in the killing of first responders and fellow citizens, and the destruction of property and the livelihoods of many.

God's will is for us to love as he loved (John 15:11-12), to be ambassadors for peace in our times with the help of his grace.   
 
This Sunday, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we will hear in the Gospel:  “ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him .”  John 3:17
 
Jesus Christ conquered all sin and the world with a crucified love.   
 
Only through Jesus will we find the peace we seek in our world and in our hearts – a peace not defined by an absence of conflict but an embracing of God’s will.   The conflict I am speaking of is that which has been waged in every human heart since the beginning of time:  to do good and avoid evil. 
 
It is a conflict we take to our Lord in prayer that we may always choose, with the help of his grace, to do good and avoid evil.   In the words of St. Boniface, bishop and martyr, whose feast we celebrate today, “ What we ourselves cannot bear, let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful .”
 
I invite you to attend an outdoor Prayer Vigil for Peace with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament this Wednesday, June 10, from 6 pm to 8 pm in our St. Gabriel Church parking lot.    Following this, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in my 3rd floor office window for perpetual adoration through Sunday, June 14, the Feast of the Body of Christ (Corpus Christi).
 
In these troubled times, let us seek peace in the Prince of Peace, who promises, “ I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world. ”  John 16:33
 
Count on my daily prayers. Please pray for me.
 
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

Fr. Richard
Prayer Vigil and Adoration: This Wednesday
Please join us in the parking lot.
Remain in your car or bring chairs to sit in.
We will be social distancing.
We also invite you to pray from home.
Following the Prayer Vigil:
Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

in our parking lot
Wednesday evening, June 10
through Sunday, June 14
the Feast of the Body of Christ (Corpus Christi)

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in Fr. Richard's 3rd floor office window.
From our U.S. Catholic bishops...
As we have shared on our social media, the U.S. Catholic Church - through our bishops - has spoken about the unjust death of George Floyd and the resulting protests and violence. We encourage you to read their statements.