Author: Anne Marie Kearney

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 14, 2026

Reflection by: Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, T.O.R.

My sisters and brothers in Christ. May the peace of the Lord Jesus be with you. I am sure all of you would agree with the saying—”TIME FLIES.” Here we are in the middle of June and before you know it, the summer will be over, and school will be starting again. In the midst of these “moving months” we can pause and reflect on various spiritual events that have occurred since the conclusion of our Easter Season with the beautiful feast of Pentecost. We celebrated two great mysteries of our faith—The feast of the Holy Trinity and the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).

This past Friday the 12^th, we celebrated the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The heart represents love, tenderness, and compassion. What a beautiful title for Jesus who is full of love and tenderness. Jesus is full of compassion and forgiveness as He continues to be at our side in good times and in difficult times— “Come to me when you are weak and burdened and I will give you rest.” Out of His abundant love for us, we have been reconciled in Christ who, like a good shepherd seeks out those who have strayed or who are lost.

On Saturday the 13^th, we celebrated the feast of The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us pray to our Blessed Mother, Our Lady Queen of Peace. There is always so much peace, healing and reconciliation needed in our world and community.

Mis hermanas y hermanos en Cristo. Que la paz del Señor Jesús este con ustedes. Yo estoy seguro de que todos estarían de acuerdo con el dicho –“EL TIEMPO VUELA”. Aquí estamos a mediados de junio y antes de que te des cuenta, el verano se termina y la escuela comienza de nuevo. Entre estos “meses de mudanza”, podemos detenernos y reflexionar sobre varios acontecimientos espirituales que han ocurrido desde la conclusión de nuestro Tiempo Pascual con la hermosa fiesta de Pentecostés. Celebramos dos grandes misterios de nuestra fe- la Solemnidad de la Santísima Trinidad y la Solemnidad del Santísimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo (Corpus Christi).

Este pasado viernes 12, celebramos la Fiesta del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. El corazón representa amor, ternura y compasión. Que título tan hermoso para Jesús que está lleno de amor y ternura. Jesús está lleno de compasión y perdón mientras El continúa estando a nuestro lado en tiempos buenos y en tiempos difíciles- “Ven a mi cuando estes débil y cargado y yo te daré descanso.” Aparte de Su abundante amor por nosotros, hemos sido reconciliados en Cristo quien, como un buen pastor busca a aquellos que se han desviado o a los que están perdidos.

El sábado 13, celebramos la fiesta del Corazón Inmaculado de la Bienaventurada Virgen María. Oremos a nuestra Santa Madre, Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz. Necesitamos siempre de mucha paz, sanación y reconciliación en nuestro mundo y la comunidad.

Franciscan Holy Year/Jubilee ~ January 10, 2026 -January 10, 2027

On the Occasion of the Celebration of the 800^th Celebration of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi 1226-2026

Our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this year we are celebrating the 800^th anniversary of the death, or transitus, of Saint Francis. The ministers General of the whole Franciscan family have called all Franciscans to celebrate what they have called the Easter of Francis of Assisi. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV has invoked a Jubilee Year, often referred to as a holy year, for all believers to share in this commemoration of Saint Francis entering into heaven. What a wonderful gift for the whole Church!

In contemporary society, we rarely think about death, not only because it reminds us that we are limited creatures, but also because it exposes the false security we get from believing that we are masters over time and life. Saint Francis, on the other hand, welcomed Sister Death with song in his Canticle of the Creatures, the Canticle of Brother Sun, because he understood that death is not the termination of everything but the end that allows us to enter into full communion with God. Indeed, life is a gift that must be given back: “Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!” (Francis of Assisi, Letter to the Entire Order #29)

At the end of his days, Saint Francis contemplated his life and discovered the presence and action of the Lord everywhere. Thus, in his Testament he repeats, like a refrain: “The Lord gave me, Brother Francis… The Lord gave me such faith in churches… The Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith… And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel” (Testament 1-14).

The celebration of the 800^th anniversary of the Easter of Saint Francis invites us to contemplate our lives, both personally and as Catholics, with the eyes of faith, and by doing so, perceive the divine presence and action in everything, even in the difficult and dramatic situations we have experienced or are experiencing now.

It is an opportunity to thank God for all the gifts he has bestowed on us, particularly (on this occasion) for the gift of Saint Francis of Assisi and his evangelical life, which has become a light to the world reflecting the greater Light who is Christ for the world, and which today still has the strength to call out to women and men of all cultures, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.

And finally, celebrating the passing of the Poverello (the little poor one) is an occasion to remember that we are all called to holiness, and that like Saint Francis, we are invited to reflect the beauty of the gospel, because “holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” (Pope Francis, Gaudete et exsultate 9).

So, in this spirit we welcome all those who come to Saint Patrick in South Tampa to share in the light of the faith of Saint Francis, to experience the rich blessings of this Jubilee and Eighth Centenary of his transitus from this life to life with God. May you be inspired to, as Francis told his brothers at the end of his life: “Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.”

Yours in Christ and Saint Francis,

Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, TOR Fr. Alberto F. Bueno, TOR

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Pope Leo XIV Declares Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi | Gulf Coast Catholic

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/letters/2026/documents/20260107-lettera-morte-sf.html

https://www.centenarifrancescani.org/index.php/en