The Month of May 2026
My Friends,
The Eucharist Christifies…
We believe that the Holy Eucharist is not some thing, it is some One. We believe that when we share the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion there is energy and dynamism in that encounter. Our Pro-Cathedral friend and mentor, Bishop Robert Barron, speaks to that reality in this compelling way:
“In chapter six of the Gospel of St. John, Jesus declares that he is the bread of life and promises eternal life to all who believe in him.
“Many of the Church Fathers characterized the Eucharist as food that immortalizes those who consume it. They understood that if Christ is really present in the eucharistic elements, the one who eats and drinks the Lord’s body and blood becomes configured to Christ in a far more than metaphorical way. The Eucharist, they concluded, Christifies and hence eternalizes.
“If the Eucharist were no more than a symbol, this kind of language would be so much nonsense. But if the doctrine of the real presence is true, then this literal eternalization of the recipient of Communion must be maintained.
“But what does this transformation practically entail? It implies that the whole of one’s life – body, psyche, emotions, spirit – becomes ordered to the eternal dimension. The Christified person knows that his life is not fully about him but about God; the Eucharistized person understands that his treasure is to be found above and not below. Wealth, pleasure, power, honor, success, titles, degrees, even friendships and family connections are relativized as the high adventure of life with God opens up.”
Celebrating our mothers
On Mother’s Day, May 10th, we pray with gratitude for inestimable gift of our mothers! We pray for those who are still with us, as well as for those who are now with the Lord. For the living we pray God give them best blessings always. And for those no longer with us we pray that God has rewarded them as only He can.
We give thanks, too, for those women who have nurtured us with a kind of spiritual motherhood through generous encouragement and by compelling example.
Grace and peace, we pray for each of you, always, and all ways!
“Laborers into His vineyard…”
Grace will be abounding for the Church of St. Louis in the month of May as we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Orders in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
On Saturday, May 9th Archbishop Rozanski will ordain John Paul Angeli, Alex Cammarata, Mark Koenemann, Curtis Prize, Benjamin Wolf to the Sacred Order of Deacon before a final year of formation and ministry prior to Priesthood ordination. They will be ordained Priests, please God, for service in St. Louis in May of 2027.
Then, on Saturday May 23rd the Archbishop will ordain Deacon Michael Laugeman to the Sacred Priesthood. The Masses of Deacon and Priesthood Ordination will both be celebrated at 10:00 AM in the Cathedral Basilica. All in the Archdiocese are welcome to attend.
Thanks be to God for “sending laborers into His vineyard.” And thanks be to God for the generous response of these ordinandi to His call to service in the Church in ordained ministry. Pray with me that other young men will likewise be generous in responding to His call and will enjoy strong support and encouragement from their families and friends.
“You did it for me”
Each year the Archdiocesan Annual Catholic Appeal funds people programs that serve over one half million children, women and men in our metropolitan community. People of all faiths, and of no faith, benefit. The homeless are provided shelter. The hungry receive nutritious meals. Women and children at-risk are afforded safe-haven and necessary care. Senior citizens receive a continuum of needed services. Disadvantaged children and teens are educated. Those are only a few of the people programs made possible by the Appeal.
You have, hopefully, received a letter from Archbishop Rozanski, along with a pledge card, asking your generous support for the 2026 Annual Catholic Appeal. You have, hopefully, also received a letter from me with specific participation details for our Pro-Cathedral family.
There are two goals set for us and for all by the Archdiocesan Appeal leadership. One is calculated according to a standard formula. Our formula goal is $7,350.00. The other goal is a challenge to meet the total of our gifts to the 2025 Annual Catholic Appeal last year. Our challenge goal is $32,647.00. In my almost twenty-three years among you, we have never not reached goal! As of the most recent update, our gifts already totaled $9,100.00. We now number one new donor, and four donors have increased their contribution this year.
Please return your pledge card, with your gift, in the envelope that was enclosed with the Archbishop’s mailing. If you prefer, you are welcome to return it to the Pro-Cathedral with your Sunday Offering, or by mail to the Pro-Cathedral office. The time for making your gift spans the dates of Saturday, April 28, 2026 till Sunday, May 3, 2026. The last date for gifts is Friday, August 14, 2026. If you misplace the pledge card from Archbishop Rozanski, please contact the rectory. We will be happy to provide a replacement card with a postage paid return envelope to you.
For the Annual Catholic Appeal each year I ask that you be as generous to God, and the works of God, as God has been generous to you. Your gift, then, will be the right one. I am grateful. Archbishop Rozanski is grateful. All those who benefit from your generosity are most grateful.
We remember
On Monday, 25th, as our nation observes the Memorial Day holiday we remember, especially, those who have embodied the Gospel teaching of Jesus that, “there is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” in service to our nation and for the cause of justice and peace.
We pray, too, for lasting peace in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, Iran and in all war-torn places. We pray, as well, for peace in our homes, metropolitan community, nation and worldwide. God grant us to see a day when hostilities, persecution and oppression are ended, and the dignity of every person is respected and protected.
Exploring a saint-in-the-making
Our Faith Enrichment Group continues regularly to meet on the first Sunday of the month. Participants reflect the rich diversity of our members. The group meets in the church hall immediately following the 10:00 Mass. The sessions last a little over one hour, refreshments are served, and all are welcome.
At the May 3rd meeting, as a springboard for its conversation, the group will use a video presentation by Bishop Robert Barron on the life of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Considered by many to be the greatest preacher the Catholic Church in the United States has known, Archbishop Sheen will be beatified, as the last step, before he is canonized a saint. The beatification will be celebrated in St. Louis, on September 24th, at the Dome at America’s Center. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the head of the Vatican Congregation for Evangelization, as the delegate of Pope Leo XIV, will preside at the celebration.
This month’s faith enrichment gathering is, then, very timely!
In Brief
We share the joy of John Morris and Stevie Gleason as they celebrate here, on May 16th, the Sacrament of Marriage. Please God, grace is abounding as they begin a new beginning.
We keep in prayer Margaret Czapla, Dan Prater, Paul Hogan, Cardinal Justin Rigali, all the sick and the homebound, together with their care givers and loved ones. We pray for all deceased members of our St. John’s Pro-Cathedral family that they see God face to face now, and that their families and friends experience grace & peace.
Faithfully,
Monsignor Delaney