College students have ended their school year. Soon our elementary and secondary school students will be on summer vacation. End of the semester, end of the year, those expressions always connote exams, reports and finishing things.

In today’s our Gospel, Jesus finds himself at the end, the end of his ministry here on earth. In this passage, he is giving the apostles last minute instructions.

He will leave, but he will not leave them orphans, and he will send the Holy Spirit so that his presence can continue among them. Clearly, Jesus leaves his church, his people, in other words, us, in charge but with the guidance and support of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, the guidance, the protection and the gifts of the Holy Spirit essentially give divine life to the Church, to all of us in the Church. However, the human part remains. In other words, we can be inspired, guided and directed, but we must act. Every member of the Church needs to use those gifts of the Holy Spirit for one’s own benefit as well as for the benefit of others.

The Church from its very beginnings has been strong and has been weak, has suffered and has triumphed, has seen high points and has experienced low points. Every now and then, corrective action is implemented to rebuild what may have been lost.

It is no secret that active, vibrant Church participation has waned in our parishes. Decreased membership and participation in Church life are not like decreases in other organizations. When we speak about Church, we are talking about salvation, about participation in the life of Christ, about eternal happiness. We want full and active participation, not because it looks good, but because we want people to share in the life of Christ as found in his Church.

Vocations face challenges. There are fewer priests and religious, yes, but there are also marriages that hurt and end up being broken. Fewer make a commitment to marriage. Many single, young people suffer loneliness because they feel that they do not fit in, afraid to make a commitment to life. So, the Church, all of us, must make efforts to show the value and worth of one’s vocation in life as a true calling from God.

The entire diocese aims to build parishes of living stones, a beautiful analogy that speaks about the living realities of parishes, people with physical assets of buildings. Shifting and dwindling populations have forced many changes in society. These same forces shape our parishes. As a Church, we wish to respond properly to those changes, to live in the present, and to prepare for the future. We want to plan and not merely react. We do this not just to increase numbers, but in an effort to promote the Body of Christ among current members, inactive members, and ultimately to all.

The work of building a vibrant parish is everyone’s job, not just that of a few people. The parishes of today are already vastly different from the parishes of 30 or 40 years ago. The buildings are the same, but the parish is not the same in 2026. Parish life continues to have buildings, but the true parish life will also be different. We should be concerned about the Church because we are talking about the faith life of thousands of people. We want to help them in their journey to discover value in faith, value in Church participation, value in the sacraments, especially baptism and the celebration of the Eucharist, and value in being incorporated with Christ. So, let’s all be guilty… but guilty in this sense. If we were put on trial for being a Catholic, would there be enough evidence to convict us? Let’s hope so.