Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, often called the birthday of the church because the disciples began to publicly proclaim the Gospel in the name of Jesus Christ. We have a rich history as a Catholic community and faced challenges in every age. In the 21^st century, the Church is truly Catholic, that is global, and through the internet able to learn about world developments in an instant. Gathered as church, we find comfort and courage to shed light on the Good News of humanity in a world that is often focused on war, violence, hunger and poverty. We need to address these issues in a spirit of collaboration and global responsibility. 

And we also need to respond to the needs of our local community in that same spirit of cooperation. What we do inside the walls of our church has significance for the community of Hoboken. We call forth the talents of all our people as did Jesus with the disciples. We celebrate the newly-initiated adults who come forth this Pentecost to be sent on their journey of faith. I thank Fr. Dani and Megan Moffit, who have met with them over the past year to bring them to this juncture of their faith journey. 

I also commend the work of our FUNFEST steering committee for their selfless work for the good of the church and the community. With such spirit, we can do great things in Hoboken.