Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit!
Having completed the commemoration of the mysteries of salvation, from Christ's birth in Bethlehem, His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, to the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost last Sunday, today we are invited by the Church to contemplate the central mystery of our faith: the Blessed Trinity, the great mystery of God's own inner life and the fountain of all gifts and graces.
     We first recognize the centrality of the Blessed Trinity in our faith from the Sacraments, especially in the sacraments of Baptism and Confession. In Baptism, we were baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This action conformed us to the life of the Trinity and made our souls temples of His glory.  In Confession, we are forgiven through these Divine names of the Trinity.
     We also realize the importance of this mystery in our prayers. Our prayers often begin and end with the Sign of the Cross invoking the names of the Trinity, calling to mind our need to worship the Blessed Trinity and that all things are directed to our loving God. We cannot forget how our perfect prayer, the Mass, is directed solely to worshiping this central mystery, for we offer to the Father the sacrifice of His Son in union with the Holy Spirit.
     Many more things could be said about this great mystery of the Trinity, such as, it is the starting point of all revealed truth, the fountain from which proceeds supernatural life, and the goal to which we are headed. The list could go on and on, which is why we call it a mystery. We will never fully understand, but we must always remember, our relationship with the Blessed Trinity. We are children of the Father, brothers, sisters, and co-heirs with the Son, and continually sanctified by the Holy Spirit to make us ever more and more resemble Christ.
     May we grow in greater love and knowledge of this mystery so that we may more perfectly pray: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit!

Four ordinations are scheduled at the Cathedral for May 23 and 24.
     Benjamin S. Sawyer will be ordained a transitional deacon at a 7pm Mass Friday, May 23.
     Deacons Adam J. Keiter, Michael J. Linnebur and Aaron D. Spexarth will be ordained Saturday, May 24 at 10am.
     Photos and details about the men being ordained may be found at www.catholicadvance.org, website of The Catholic Advance, the diocesan newspaper.

The Altar Society Meeting Wednesday, May 21 at 6:30pm in the Pius X Room is a pot luck covered-dish dinner. One of our very own members will share her artwork with us. Come enjoy the evening!

Audio recordings of the daily Mass readings from the New American Bible are being provided by the U.S. Bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) in association with the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Information on downloading the audio versions of the readings can be found on the popular "Daily Readings" section at www.usccb.org/nab.

General: Human Dignity. That Christians may use literature, art and mass media to create a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person.
Mission: Mary's Guidance. That the Virgin Mary, Star of evangelization and Queen of the Apostles, may still guide missionaries with maternal affection, just as she accompanied the Apostles in the early stages of the Church.

              For reflections on these intentions go to Pope's Prayer Intentions at
                                       www.apostleshipofprayer.org.