Jun 18, 2026

Greetings,
Sunday our nation celebrates Father’s Day. A very blessed and joyful day to all of our Dads! We’ve had a lot of visitors to our parish lately, and a surprising number of them commented on their delight concerning the number of young families and children at Mass. For a priest, it is a particular joy to see (and hear) those small ones who will, hopefully, fill the pews with their own families one day. In a particular way this weekend, we give thanks to you, Dads, for all that you do as men of faith and family to help keep our community strong. God bless!

IN OTHER NEWS:

JAZZ AND WINE FESTIVAL: It is time for our Annual Brick Street Jazz and Wine Festival! Thursday, June 25, we will once again gather beneath the mighty oaks in the courtyard for wine tastings, samplings of food from area restaurants and, of course, good music. This year’s featured band is the Bob Esterle Quartet.

The proceeds of this amazing night go to support the Academy of Culture and Arts at St. Sebastian. The Academy of Culture and Arts is a dynamic program of the parish that provides adults and children with a variety of opportunities to grow in artistic talent and cultural experiences. Persons of all ages can take courses in many areas from organ to violin to dance and other classes as they become available. It is an opportunity for those already advanced in the arts to perform and to teach. The academy is the organization through which the parish has her yearly Concert Series, recitals, and provides camps in various disciplines for children over the summer. In the past it has sponsored art shows, talks and commissions. And all of it takes place in a Christian setting to amplify the best of our Western Culture. As we say, not all songs have to be about heaven, and not all paintings must be a Madonna, but they are all intended to lift the human spirit to greater heights.

The Academy’s flagship event is the Brick Street Jazz and Wine Festival. It is envisioned as a communityvevent that benefits the community through supporting the arts and artists. Limited tickets are on sale now. See our website or pg. 10 in the bulletin for more details.

TREES: During the storm two Wednesdays ago, I was sitting on the loggia of the rectory and heard a loud crack, a rustle of leaves and heavy thump as a large branch fell off a tree in Forest Lodge. Later, Fr. Joseph and I were sitting in the living room and heard another crack and saw the damaged tree in front of the rectory. It wasn’t until the morning that we saw another large branch at the back of the church.

Fortunately, none of these trees did any damage other than blocking walkways. Our crew was out early in the morning with chain saws clearing the walkways (thank you)! But the more dangerous parts required a professional company to take care of them. The company needed about a week before they could get out to us, but I believe the trees will ultimately be fine.

WELCOME KNIGHTS OF MALTA: The Knights of Malta will be here again on Saturday for their annual day of retreat. If you attended the Corpus Christi Mass and procession, you would have seen the Knights and Dames of Malta processing in their black robes. They are visiting our parish because the Bishop has assigned me as their chaplain. Welcome to St. Sebastian, Knights!

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck