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September 11, 2022
The Parish Picnic is here!
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Thank you to everyone who worked so hard and volunteered for our 2nd Annual Parish Picnic at Cascade Park. Thank you also to everyone who donated beverages and also sold or purchased raffle tickets.
Your efforts help us to defray the cost of this free picnic.
How appropriate for us to be able to gather as a parish family and celebrate our faith and our freedom on this day when our nation was viciously attacked by terrorists over 20 years ago. Having worked the aftermath of the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, I have vivid memories of not only that horrific attack, but also of the families of the victims and the many first responders who served. It is good for us to live our faith and our freedom in commemoration of that day. May our celebration of Holy Mass and of friendship and fellowship testify to our tenacious spirit that refuses to be bullied into submission to evil and oppression!
Please join me in welcoming the Catholic students from Westminster College I have invited to join us for our parish picnic. Part of our parish ministry is to the students at Westminster College. With the departure of Father Brendan and no other priest assigned as of yet, Fr. Ben and I have decided to
enhance our outreach to our Catholic students of the college by inviting them to celebrate Holy Mass with us as a parish. I am particularly grateful to our seminarian, Dan Roberts, for his willingness to help connect with our college students and also all young adults in our parish. Please watch the bulletin and the website for upcoming events which Dan will be spearheading.
Faith Formation will be kicking off our first Faith Formation session on Sunday, September 18th. It is a whole new program this year! I am extremely grateful to Sr. Annie and her team for coming together with a new and exciting way to educate our young people in our Catholic Christian faith. As part of our new programming, we are planning to add a Mass at Noon in St. Mary Church to enable our Faith Formation families to attend Mass together. This would afford K-5 Faith Formation families the opportunity to go to 9:00 am Mass at St. Vitus prior to classes there or Middle School/High School families to attend Mass at Noon at St. Mary following classes there.
Celebrating the Holy Eucharist each weekend is paramount and essential. What good does it do us to teach our young people the faith if they are not practicing it with their parents and siblings?! Even though we are down to only two priests, Fr. Ben and I still feel committed to try and provide this for our Faith Formation families. We are sacrificing, doing all we can to serve your spiritual needs. But please realize that something has to give at some point.
For the time being, we are seeking visiting clergy to help us maintain the schedule. We are also praying that the Lord will send us a parish chaplain or parochial vicar. In the meantime, please be patient and understanding. You may not realize this, but our pastoral responsibilities are enormous. We service over 12 nursing homes, a hospital, a jail and college. We also have the responsibility of over 150 homebound parishioners. There are many, many sick calls at all hours of the day or night. We average over 300 funerals a year here at Holy Spirit Parish. That is in addition to our weekday Mass as well as weddings, baptisms, etc.
Please keep us in your prayers and be assured of our tenacious, perseverance in your service.
God love you,
