I’m sure everyone is aware of this, but today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This day commemorates Mary’s visit to her kinswoman Elizabeth who was roughly eight months pregnant at the time. We’re told that when Mary greeted her, Elizabeth’s child (John the Baptist, forerunner of the Messiah) leaped in her womb and she proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Mary’s response is a song of praise and thanksgiving that we know as the Magnificat, which begins “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…” We tend to think of this event in Advent, leading up to the birth of Jesus, as we hear this story along with the earlier story of the Annunciation, or Gabriel’s announcing to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son. Luke writes about both of these events in the first chapter of his Gospel. Even though we hear about them more in Advent, we date the Annunciation as March 25, the Visitation as May 31, and the birth of John the Baptist as June 24, six months before the birth of Christ on Dec. 25.

We have a busy few days next weekend as we will gather on Saturday, June 8, for the Pride Mass (9:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s) and Pride Parade (11 a.m.), Parish Breakfast and Wear Orange Sunday on June 9, and the Juneteenth KC Tour on Monday, June 10.

Here is our financial snapshot through April 2024:

Revenues:

MTD Budget $135,530; MTD Actual $111,662

YTD Budget $664,790; YTD Actual $642,364

Expenses:

MTD Budget $175,783; MTD Actual $152,054

YTD Budget $703,134; YTD Actual $667,668

Please continue to pray for one another, for our Cathedral family, for our nation, and the world.

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