Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,
On the Feast of Pentecost, we generally focus on the gift of the Holy Spirit and the effect that had on the lives of the Apostles. But Pentecost also celebrates for us the gift of the Church.  It is often mentioned that Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. I have even had to sit through uncomfortable moments in the time before I was ordained, when the priest would lead the congregation in singing Happy Birthday to the Church.  But it is good to know that the Church marks its beginning from Pentecost and not from Easter.
It was on Pentecost that the Apostles were filled with the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit.  Their fear was overcome.  They unlocked the door of the upper room, went out into the crowded streets of Jerusalem and began to preach the Good News. It is from this first proclamation of the Gospel that the Church recognizes its beginnings.
It is the fruit of the Apostles’ prayer for nine days that they are given the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of Holy Mother Church. This story of Pentecost is told in the second chapter of Acts. The remaining chapters of Acts tell us the history of the early Church and the way in which the Holy Spirit breathed life into it. Over and over again we hear the importance of the Church gathered in prayer. The way the Church is able to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit is through gathering and praying together.
Through the centuries, the doctrine of Faith has been preserved through the Church. Now don’t get me wrong; there have been many things done by those in the Church who say they are acting in the name of Christ, that have caused injury and scandal. The Church is made up of sinners who often fail and disappoint. But the Church is bigger than those who make it up. Critics of the Church may point at all types of things that are questionable in its history, There are innumerable examples of nepotism, the selling of indulgences, corruption, sinful clergy, and ruler-bearing nuns. I suppose if all that someone knows about Catholics was the way Msgr. Cox lived out his faith, they might question the genuineness of Catholicism, but thanks be to God, the Church is not about Msgr. Cox or any other individual believer. It is about Jesus, and Jesus established the Church as His spotless Bride.
It is through the gift of the Church and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we find our salvation. We cannot do it on our own; we need each other. Together we are the Body of Christ. . . the Church.
May God help us to have a greater appreciation for this gift. May He help us to be more faithful members of Holy Mother Church.

Msgr. Cox
Pentecost, Jan Joest, 1508