10/3/2021

Three months into the fiscal year we are getting farther behind in our budgeted income – farther behind than we have ever been since I have been here. About 75% of our budget goes to salaries for employees on staff and school, most of whom are under contract. So those expenses are constant. 75% of the budgeted income amount is what we are averaging. So we do need the money. And we have not even begun the bishop’s ACA campaign! During the COVID crisis, we have experienced a decline in attendance and in giving. As we experience a return in numbers, we hope the giving goes up as well. Anything you can contribute would be appreciated. We will start to take up the collections at weekend Masses as a weekly reminder of our need to pay the bills – perhaps it is just a matter of getting back into our old routines of giving. You have always been generous with the parish, and that generosity is appreciated.
If you read my article in last Thursday’s Maryville Daily Forum, or have heard me preach of late, you might have noticed that I am trying to emphasize the spiritual and the transcendent dimension of our lives. This is in response to my perception that the society is becoming more secularized, and so deaf to and ignorant of spiritual values and human spiritual capacities. It is imperative that we intentionally affirm the spiritual side of humanity in the face of a growing skepticism about anything spiritual in our culture. Without the awareness of the transcendent values in our lives, we have no hope of achieving unity. Besides the normal Mass Schedule, the parish has responded with a number of initiatives.

1. We have Bible and Study groups using resources from FORMED.ORD (the Augustine Institute) and Dynamic Catholic in small groups which affirm and deepen our faith in how God is working in our lives.

2. The Men’s Group is embarking on the TMIY (That Man Is You) series Saturday mornings at 6:15 AM. It is a combination of a critique of the effects of the Sexual Revolution beginning in the sixties and the positive contributions to society and the family which men should be making. Based in scripture and the vision of the Church for the family, it is aimed to strengthen our family life.

3. We are continuing to promote the agenda of Dynamic Catholic, giving away books and creating events and groups to affirm our faith commitment and personal growth, although COVID has limited those events drastically. We hope to have a parish retreat in the coming year, and we still have a group hoping to visit the Holy Land.

4. CGS (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) continues to grow for our younger children, especially 3-6 year olds. We are trying to begin the next level for 7-9 year olds, though we are understaffed right now. This program promises to develop a relationship with the Lord in our younger children, then build on it as they go through school until they are 12. It is my conviction that developing a strong relationship with the Lord will be the foundation of stronger Catholics as these children move into and through their teen years. Weekly Adoration continues to be offered from after Mass on Wednesdays ending with Benediction a little after 6 PM for the children who come to Religious Education. I would be glad to expand this time if we had the interest, though I realize that a number of parishioners are doing adoration at the Newman Center at NWMSU.

What else can we do to create a Christian presence in our culture, and reinforce the relationship we have with the Lord as we seek to develop our Christian vocation? I or my staff would be interested in hearing from you. It is always a joy to celebrate Eucharist with you.

Father Albert, O.S.B