In today's gospel we hear Jesus promise his disciples that the Father would send an Advocate, the Holy Spirit.  It was important for the disciples to understand that even after Jesus’ passion and death, resurrection and ascension; he would not leave them alone.  The Spirit would teach them everything and remind them of all that Jesus had told them.  The same Holy Spirit dwells in the Church today.  The Spirit also lives in the hearts of the faithful, all those who love Jesus and keep his word. 

            Since Easter we have been listening to passages from the Acts of the Apostles.  Luke might have called this book the Acts of the Holy Spirit.  It has more to say about the Spirit than about the Apostles.  What made the early Church so effective was their openness to the Spirit.  The apostles and disciples prayed to the Holy Spirit to resolve difficult situations.  The Spirit chose Matthias to succeed Judas.  The Spirit enabled the early Church to embrace the gentile community so that the gospel could reach the ends of the earth. 

            As the Church continues to preach the gospel to our age she faces new and different problems.  We still need the Holy Spirit as much today as ever to discern what we should do and how to do it.  In our personal lives we need the Spirit to help us make the right decisions for ourselves and our families.

            In the passage from Revelations we are told that the new and heavenly Jerusalem will be built on the foundation of the apostles.  We continue to build on the good work of those Christians who went before us.

Did you know that St. Hilary Parish School just completed the Archdiocesan Catholic School Office review process?  The faculty and staff were commended for establishing an “identifiably Catholic” school environment, including daily prayer, weekly Mass attendance, sacramental preparation, teaching the principles of Catholic social justice, stewardship, and mission.  The visiting team recognized “the strong sense of community” that provides “a safe and welcoming environment.”  Our students evidenced their progress in their standardized test scores.  The visiting team described our students as happy, respectful, articulate, and engaged in their own education.  They concluded that “students thrive in the Catholic educational atmosphere of St. Hilary School.”

            Congratulations to our principal Michael Neis and to our faculty, staff, students, and families for the wonderful way you are fulfilling the mission of St. Hilary School.