Dear Friends in Christ,

I pray that this Summer has been a blessing for you all. As we are now past the midpoint of July, time is marching on quickly, and perhaps we are beginning the process of preparing ourselves for the upcoming school year. For me, this Summer has been far from dull, and I eagerly look forward to the many new things that are in store for St. Philip’s Parish. Not only are we welcoming our new Pastor, Fr. Jeb, but we also welcome our new Director of Religious Education, Betty Morales, and we also will be welcoming our new tenants of our school building, St. Jerome Institute. As you can tell, we are beginning an exciting new chapter in St. Philip’s Parish history.

In addition to all of this, these bulletin letters are also receiving a renewal. Going forward, Fr. Jeb and I will take turns writing these letters on alternating weeks, discussing various topics that pertain to the life of the Parish, or to the spiritual life. For me, this means that my workload for writing has been cut by half, but also it means that you will have the opportunity to hear the voices of each of us priests. I hope that you will continue to be edified by these short writings from us.

And so, in this week’s letter, we are going to explore the life of a Saint who we will be celebrating this week on July 20th, namely St. Apollinaris of Ravenna. The date of St. Apollinaris’ birth is not known to us, but we know that he was consecrated the Bishop of Ravenna, Italy, by St. Peter himself sometime between the years 41 to 54 A.D. What a blessing to receive! From his position as the Bishop of Ravenna, St. Apollinaris wasted no time in preaching the Gospel to others and making many converts to the Faith.

What is most remarkable about St. Apollinaris is the endurance he showed in the midst of fierce persecution, and his willingness to suffer for the sake of Jesus. During his lifetime, he was severely beaten by non-Christians and left half-dead after being expelled from Ravenna. He was forced to walk over hot coals and was expelled once again from the city. After returning to the city a third time, he was lacerated many times by knives, had boiling water poured over his wounds, then was forced to put rocks in his mouth, which was then beaten because of his obstinacy to continue preaching. At the time of his death, he had served as Bishop for 26 years.

St. Apollinaris exemplifies for us the great courage it takes to spread the Gospel. While not all of us are called to suffer as he did, we are all called to share Jesus as he did. Through his intercession, we are invited to make new disciples for Jesus, not only when it is easy, but especially when it is difficult.

May Christ’s peace be with you,

Father Briggs