Happy Father's Day!
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June 15, 2025Like most of our holidays, Father’s Day started out as a religious feast. March 19th is the Feast of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. Since the Middle Ages especially in Europe and certain countries in South America, fathers were blessed and celebrated on that day.
After the success of Mother's Day, a special day dedicated to Dads began to appear in America. However, the road to this national observance was not an easy one.
The first recorded celebration of a Father's Day happened after a mining disaster in West Virginia. The disaster killed 361 men and left around 1,000 children fatherless in December of 1907. Grace Golden Clayton suggested a day honoring all those fathers to her pastor, Robert Thomas Webb. On July 5th, 1908, the community gathered in honor of the men lost in the mining accident.
In 1910, the YMCA in Spokane, Washington recruited several clergymen with the help of Sonora Smart Dodd to honor fathers throughout the city. The date was set for June 5th but was later changed to June 19th (the 3rd Sunday in June), as many clergymen needed more time to prepare.
Harry C. Meek, a member of Lions Clubs International, claimed that he first had the idea for Father's Day in 1915. Meek argued that the third Sunday of June was chosen because it was his birthday. The Lion’s Club has named him "Originator of Father's Day." Meek made many efforts to promote Father's Day and make it an official holiday.
After a visit to Spokane, WA in 1916 to speak at a Father's Day celebration, President Woodrow Wilson wanted to make the day official, but Congress resisted fearing that the observance would become too commercialized.
It wasn't until 1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers on the third Sunday in June. The holiday wasn't made an annual event until President Richard Nixon signed it into law, making it a permanent national holiday in 1972.
A father’s influence is vital to the physical and psychological health of children. Many if not all of our social ills are because of the lack of the male influence in the family.
We know that infancy is a special time for mothers; they nearly always take charge during the initial year to 18 months. The critical period for the father generally begins when the child starts to interact with the outside world. One of the main things a father does is to help his children understand the outside world.
Studies show that fathers also have a special role in building a child’s self-respect, and are more effective at discipline. In both intact and divorced families, children are more likely to obey the father than the mother. It’s well established that the masculinity of sons and the femininity of daughters are each greatest when fathers are active in family life.
Whether a child will remain a Catholic, whether he will attend Sunday Mass and participate in the life of the Church, is significantly affected by the religious practice of the father.
So, today we encourage our dads and pray for them. Have a blessed and Happy Father’s Day and thank you for being good fathers. Don’t give up and know how much you are loved and needed.
Graduation Season
Congratulations to all our graduate-parishioners. Graduation ceremonies are very important from the “Moving Up or On” ceremonies for the Pre-K 3 & 4 year olds to the Commencement of our Doctoral students. Graduating from kindergarten or 8th grade, high school and definitely college can be one of the most important transitions in a person’s life. Graduation ceremonies embody not only the importance of education and student achievements, but also the graduates’ bonds to their school as alma mater (a sweet mother).
So, on behalf of your parish family, I wish to congratulate all our graduates, on whichever level of education you completed. We share in your joy. And as much as you did the work I also wish to congratulate and thank you parents and grandparents. Graduation day is your day as well.