Pastor's Letter-- September 6, 2020

I begin with a reminder announcement: I would like to invite new members to the parish pastoral council. This council is typically my “think tank” with whom I share updates to get feedback and possible new ideas on parish plans and direction, via a monthly 1-hour meeting for hopefully three years (if you aren’t certain three is feasible, you may still apply). My plan is to allow for Zoom participation for those who are not comfortable coming in person for as long as needed. If you would like to offer your name to the list, please send me an e-mail or give me a call explaining briefly why this is important to you. If you are registered in the parish, you are eligible. We want a broad range of membership (12 total on rotating terms).

The next four weeks will bring a couple important events for our parish family. First, the Annual Bishop's Appeal has a reduced budget, and thus a smaller goal for our parish. More importantly, I really like the video this year. I think it is rather powerful. It actually includes some snippets of a homily that I heard when I was 19 years old and which strongly moved me to be a priest. If you would like to watch it online, you can find it on the YouTube channel for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

At the end of the month we will honor our patroness, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. This will be the most peculiar year to have a celebration, but we are working on ideas for how to make it meaningful, joyful, and accessible to those who need or prefer to quarantine. Stay tuned for more details about the feast day celebrations, and pray for our parish to continue to grow in living our mission (both in the homes and in the parish).

We are also working on some things to help with families in the parish to live their faith at home in the family. It is our hope that these will be useful tools to make our families grow in their practice of the faith without needing to be in Church, thus building up the "domestic church." Along with this, Religious Education will begin this month as well - in a very different format, with the parents and children completing lessons at home either on Sunday or throughout the following week. Due to this "unprecedented" year, this new format fosters the more natural dynamic of the primary educators of the faith, the parents, receiving the support to live that role from the parish. Pray for parents - their role is so important! Truly it is the most "essential" of all!