Greetings in Christ, all! Lots to cover in this article…let’s get right to it!
First of all, I’d like to talk about our Religious Education Program here. All over the country, Catholic Churches have been figuring out how to do Religious Education in a way that will be appealing to folks and help them grow in their faith. I know there is a lot pulling at parents and kids today and we have struggled mightily with the question of how to do our program in a way that people will come and grow in faith as a result. Reducing Religious Education to Sacramental Preparation only tends to have the effect of reducing what could be a beautiful, life-changing experience into a series of hoops to jump through. Our fervent desire is that we offer something helpful and joyful, attractive and elevating.
To that end, we’ve been looking at other Churches that have large numbers of people going to their religious education programs and enjoying them. We’ve met and prayed, we’ve discussed and studied. This year, we will be beginning a new approach and frankly, sticking with it for some time. The program will be a Faith Formation concept where parents and kids learn and grow together. I’m very excited about this. I’ve asked the leadership team to use my article space in next week’s bulletin to describe the new program.
With anything new, there will obviously be things we have to figure out, iron out, etc. Please pray for our efforts and pray that Jesus guides us in such a way as to maximize participation and the fruits of that participation.
Speaking of next week…This Sunday, July 20, I will be leaving for a retreat/vacation. The Church gives me two weeks off every summer and strongly encourages me to take them! I tend to do those two weeks together, but save one of the weekends for August. Fr. Geoff Rose is my best friend in the world and we always do this time together. I’ll miss you all while I’m gone and pray for you every day.
While I’m away, we will have our yearly mission visit. For those of you who don’t know, the diocese assigns us a mission every year and asks us to help the missionary. We will have Fr. Raju Pilla from the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum to celebrate and/or speak at each of our Masses next weekend, telling us about the work he is doing and asking for your financial support. Please pray for his efforts!
Final note…we may have a parish cat.
A few weeks ago, a little kitten started living in my garage. I’ve been feeding her and I’ve set up a bed for her. She won’t let me or anyone come near, but I’m confident we can wear her down with love. I can’t take her in the house, as I’m pretty allergic to cats, but she can be a nice addition to the garage and maybe help us with our mouse problem! I’m thinking of naming her Lucy. I talked to one of our parishioners and she is going to help me catch the cat when the time is right and spay her so we don’t have offspring running about!
So, I guess that is it! Please know I love you all, pray for you all daily and thank Jesus every day that I get to be your priest.
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