Deacon Ron's Homily - Something small grows into something big, the growth of God's Kingdom at Ss. Francis and Clare

The Gospel today has a good image to relate to the kingdom of God. Something small, a mustard seed, that grows into something big, a plant so large it provides shade for the

birds to dwell in, through the power of God. It’s a good image for this time of the year as many of us have just recently planted our gardens. Much of the work that goes into planting a garden requires a lot of faith that all the effort we put into it will produce a fruitful harvest. We can cultivate the soil, fertilize it, water it, and weed it, but the growth of the seeds is beyond our control.  We can’t make the seeds grow and we can’t plan when the plants will product the harvest. We need to have faith that the right conditions will prevail for the seeds to grow and produce a bountiful harvest. Our faith is dependant on the power of God. God provides the sunshine, the warm weather, and the right conditions to grow bountiful plants.

The seed in today’s parable represents God’s word planted in us.  Jesus is the sower of the Word. We are the soil. Now all we need is right conditions for us to grow through the power of God. As I thought about the right conditions for the tiniest of seeds to grow into the largest of plants, I thought about our own parish, Ss. Francis and Clare, as the perfect example of the power of God in action.

Just a seed when planted in 1993 by Archbishop Daniel, it began to sprout and grow with a handful of families who worshiped together in the Center Grove Middle school gym, pastored by Fr. Steve Jarrell. Our church building and parish offices were completed in 1997 and the parish continued its steady growth. But something significant happened in 2003. In July of 2003, Fr. Vince was appointed the pastor of our parish and the growth that has taken place is nothing short of amazing. In 2003 we had 720 parish families. Today we have over 1700 families. That’s an increase of over 1000 families in 12 years.

Our school ministry was started in 2006 with 34 students in the two classrooms of the original church building.   The school ministry and religious education rapidly expanded and the Assisi Center was built to handle the growth in 2007 and expanded again in 2010.   Today we now have over 550 children in our school ministry and over 800 children in our Sunday religious education and youth ministry.

Our parish membership has grown by welcoming many people into the Catholic faith through the RCIA process.   Early in Father Vince’s tenure he noticed quite a few spouses faithfully attending Mass who were not Catholic and decided to offer a summer RCIA program to bring them into the faith.    This past year two RCIA programs were offered to accommodate the busy lifestyles of adults to come into the faith. We also have had four men called to the diaconate under Father Vince’s leadership, three of them ordained, and one in formation. 

In the back of the main sanctuary of our church, the walls were moved to add seats to accommodate our growing parish. Masses were added during the week and on Sundays to meet the needs of our growing parish. Our staff at Ss. Francis and Clare increased significantly, including the addition of an Associate Pastor to assist Fr. Vince. The Harvest Food Pantry was started four years ago and a stand alone building was opened last year in order to offer more times to serve those who need help. Our annual fall festival was started and has grown to be one of the largest in the area. Our columbarium was built as a final resting place for our parish members with plans for future expansion. Our Early Childhood Learning Center is under construction and is set to open in a few months.

All of our various ministries have grown to meet the needs of our parish and our surrounding community with over 3100 people volunteering to serve last year. The seed sprouted, the sprout grew, and the plant has had tremendous growth, especially during the past 12 years here at Ss. Francis and Clare. All of this has occurred by God’s power, and by the faith, the vision, and the leadership of our pastor, Fr. Vince.

Let’s not forget, that early on as our pastor, Fr. Vince was appointed as the archdiocesan exorcist. Fr. Vince accepted this assignment and has been one of the most visible and accessible exorcists in the US. Although his time has been divided between the parish and his exorcism ministry, Fr. Vince has been able to move the parish forward and to ‘give his all’ to his flock.

Ss. Francis and Clare is a special place where the Kingdom of God has grown because of all of you, our parishioners.   The seed was planted in our hearts through the Word and Sacraments, cultivated through leadership of Father Vince, and empowered through the God’s grace to build up the Kingdom. When Fr. Vince arrived 12 years ago, he had a vision for Ss. Francis and Clare. His vision was for it to be a parish for the 21^st century; a parish that meets the needs and demands of the modern world in which we live.  A parish where all people can come together in common belief to live out the 2 great commandments:

1)   To love God with all our mind, with all our heart, and with all our soul.

2)   And to love our neighbor as ourself.

A parish, where people can come together to worship, to pray, to laugh, to cry, to teach, to learn, and to support each other as we all journey towards God’s eternal kingdom.

Fr. Vince trusted the Holy Spirit and allowed the power of God to work through him to do great things here at Ss. Francis and Clare. Yes our parish is an example of the parable of the mustard seed.  What began as the smallest of seeds, has sprouted, has grown, and will continue to grow to be a place to dwell and rest in God’s kingdom here on earth. Thank you, Fr. Vince, for your leadership, for your love, for your prayers, and for your support. We will miss you - we know that God will continue to do great things through you at St. Malachy.

Dear friends, in a few short minutes we will come forward to receive our Lord in Holy Communion. When we do so, let’s thank God for using His awesome power to grow His kingdom and to include us in his plans. Let’s thank Him for his many gifts to us. For the gift of life, the gift of family, the gift of friends, the gift of Jesus, and the gift of our pastor, Fr. Vince.

God bless!