Pastor's Reflection - October 19, 2025

The Need For Pentecost

I have just finished the 2025 Pentecost Today National Leaders Meeting & Conference in Houston, Texas. What an amazing experience and blessing to meet people from all over the country who are praying for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to move in our Church.

There is a special grace whenever we are open and docile to the activity of the Holy Spirit. St. Bonaventure once said, “The Holy Spirit comes where He is loved, where He is invited, where He is expected.”

During the conference, I heard beautiful testimonies from people from every walk of life about how the Holy Spirit has helped them draw closer to the Lord and live out their vocations with a spirit of boldness and conviction.

I met one religious sister who is part of a new Franciscan religious order who was in the library during the Columbine school shooting in 1998. She said that horrible tragedy led her to commit her life to the Lord and to seek God’s will in her life. It was a huge turning point that opened the door to her vocation. Sadly, her brother was also at the school during the shooting and lost a good friend. He has struggled with drug addiction ever since that horrible event and was currently in jail. She asked us to pray for him.

People need to know that we serve a God who walks with us through our life events. The Lord doesn’t always shield us from suffering but wants to heal and help us through those painful moments in life.

When I was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1988, my relationship with the Lord deepened tremendously and I began to understand the importance of welcoming the Holy Spirit to lead me and help me stay close to Jesus.

It was a special grace and blessing to be around so many people who were eager to give an account for the hope inside of them (c.f. 1 Peter 3:15).

As we move forward with the Partners in the Gospel program, we need to be praying for the Holy Spirit to be fanned into flame to help us overcome the challenges we face, but also to help us experience the supernatural power from on high that the Lord wants to send to us. The Lord wants to equip us for the work of ministry (c.f. Ephesians 4:11-12).

One of the resources that was shared was a Novena to be prayed for the 2000th anniversary of Pentecost. I wanted to share that resource with you and invite you to pray with me for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to fall upon our Church and our parish family.

Here is the link to the resource. https://www.pentecosttodayusa.org/hs2033/

Come Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful!

In Christ,

Fr. James Northrop

Pastor