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A huge thank you to everyone who participated in From Our Hearts to Your Soles service to the poor in our community. Working with Dr. Stephen Conti and Red Wing Boots, we were able to provide 196 boots/shoes to those in need. 34 of our middle school students helped in a variety of ways – from greeting people as they came into the doors, helping to size boots. We also had available coats, gloves, scarves and hygiene items. This is what it means to be an active Catholic Christian. We have to strive daily to put our faith into action. This act of discipleship begins with prayer and a grateful and tenacious spirit that is open to service and evangelization.
You may not realize this but every week the parish of Holy Spirit provides food, clothing, and other household goods to over 300 families in our parish territory and beyond! Your donations and volunteer service are proof that Holy Spirit Parish is a fully alive and active Catholic parish, seeking not only to profess our Catholic faith, but also to live it!
In last week’s bulletin, you heard from our devoted Pastoral Council. Their photographs, names and also a pastoral plan was made available and is still available on our parish website. In this week’s bulletin, you will find our Finance Council and also a summary report of the survey conducted by the Diocese of Pittsburgh regarding your feedback on the feasibility study that was presented to the entire parish on Thursday, June 2nd and is still available on our parish website.
My sincere gratitude to both the Pastoral and Finance Councils as well as our parish staff and many volunteers who have worked so hard on these studies and surveys. Next week’s bulletin will be a report on the listening sessions from our Synod that was requested by Pope Francis. A summary was submitted to the diocese and became part of the diocese Synodal Report to the Vatican. This information can also be found on our Parish website.
For those of you who are engaged in the day to day life of the parish, you know first-hand, an enormous amount of activity, planning, work, and service goes on every single day. For those parishioners who only frequent the parish perhaps on a weekend or occasionally, you may have no idea all that goes on in the day to day life of the parish. When I was preparing to be ordained for the priesthood, my brothers, other friends, and family would often tease me saying , “Well why do you have to go to school for all those years only to have to work one day a week?” To which I would respond, “Well, it’s not one day a week, it’s at least a day and a half. You have to at least give me credit for Saturday night Mass also!”
The chiding was always meant in good fun; however I know there are people who seriously believe that is all a priest does. Or that the only activity in a parish is a weekend schedule. To anyone who may have this mindset, I challenge you to become involved yourself in the life of the parish and you will discover the truth. And you will also be enriched, invigorated, and become a true disciple, not only In word, but in fact!
God love you,
