Love God, Love Others, Share the Good News!

This Week's Letter From Father

Pentecost C

June 8, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Pentecost, observed fifty days after Easter, is the birthday of the Church. Today we thank God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the first followers of Jesus in Jerusalem and on us during our Confirmation. Aelred of Rievaulx observed: “Christ’s human nature ascended from us to heaven, and on today Christ’s Spirit has come down.”

Pentecost gives us very positive energy to continue the mission of Christ. It fills us with enthusiasm and missionary fervor. Because of it we can face failures along with challenges and yet never give up. If we let Pentecost constantly happen in our life, then Pentecost will continue spreading beyond us.

St. Paul in the second reading (1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-23) reminds us that “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

 According to Pope Leo the Great: “Since Pentecost a rain of charisms, a river of blessings, has watered every desert, and dry land, for the Spirit of God has swept over the waters to renew the face of the earth, and a blaze of new light has shone out to dispel our former darkness.”

Our talents and gifts are not to be used for selfish reasons, but for the betterment of the Parish community.

If we remain open to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will show us in our day-to-day world creative ways to reach out to others and proclaim the good news of salvation. At the same time, we will enjoy inner peace, goodness, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, humility and joy, which are the fruits resulting from our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

I invite all to participate in many ministries available in our parish. Everyone has the opportunity to become Eucharistic ministers, lectors, cantors, choristers, ushers, greeters, catechists. Join Bible or prayer groups. Be involved in Youth Ministry, Middle School Ministry, Made by Us- Arts and Crafts Ministry, the Ladies Guild, the Men’s Club, the Knights of Columbus, Secular Franciscans, the Cooking Club, the Hiking Club, the Medical Club, Cursillo and many more. You can even start a new ministry which we do not have. The Holy Spirit and I count on you!

                                                                                  …..

I was honored to baptize Abigail Dominguez Lopez. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe may the Lord richly bless her and guide her gently through life.

Thank you, Brenda and Larry McCarthy, for inviting me to dinner. I was happy to meet you in person. We spent a wonderful evening over a delicious meal. Enjoy your trip to Alaska. Upon your return, I am looking forward to hearing all about it.

Thank you, Kelly Caufield, for the savory quiche “for the hot summer days ahead”. I enjoyed it.

Thank you, Urania Mitchell, for a cup of cappuccino. I was delighted to spend the morning with you and Leana Sacasa.

Why don't you join our Hiking Club for a 3-5 mile walk at Fort Macon State Park (June 7th at 9 am). Bring hydration, snacks, sunscreen and a big smile.

The theme for the next Cooking Club gathering (June 11th at 6 pm) is Summer Treats and Savories. Bring dishes highlighting summer’s bounty.

Adorable baby squirrels, baby birds and a bunny surround me daily in the garden. We enjoy having meals together. While they nibble their food, I sip my coffee and read a book. What a joy to see frolicking squirrels exploring the garden accompanied by their mothers and families of chickadees, robins, tufted titmice, mourning turtle doves, Eurasian collared doves, cardinals, sparrows, red finches, mockingbirds, hummingbirds, bluebirds, red-bellied woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, red-cockaded woodpeckers, red-winged black birds, European starlings, grackles, crows and crested flycatchers. I am truly blessed!

May the gifts of the Holy Spirit be yours.

Happy Pentecost,

Fr. Ryszard

Welcome Message

Greetings in Christ Jesus!

Whether you are just visiting for a short while, have moved here and are joining our parish, or are returning to your Catholic Faith, on behalf of our parish community, we welcome you to St. Egbert Catholic Church and the beautiful Crystal Coast of North Carolina.

When Jesus was asked which of all the commandments was the greatest, he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the great, and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These two Commandments form the foundation of our mission to Love God, Love Neighbor, and to Share the Good News.