9/11/2022

This weekend is Safe Haven Weekend. I wrote about it a few weekends ago, and it is mainly meant to emphasize how we can make our homes, schools, and parishes a safe place for all children. Part of that is educational – learning how to talk to our children and educate them about the beauty of sexuality and the dignity of their lives as Christians. Another part is vigilance of each person, so that we all watch out for who and how adults interact with our children. We embrace the cause and the effort.
This Monday and Tuesday we are having a “parish mission.” What is that? It is not a “mission” as if taken on by missionaries who go to a foreign country to convert foreigners. Rather, It is a special concentrated effort to educate and increase the fervor of Catholics in a given parish through preaching and explaining some teachings of the Catholic faith, celebration of the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, giving opportunities to pray or be inspired to pray different devotions. There are many dimensions of the Catholic Church, and this mission is an attempt to expose more of our parishioners to the wealth and depth of spirituality in our Church. I hope that you can attend. It you do, please give us feedback on your experience. We might want to make similar efforts in the future, or may want to go in a different direction, depending on how this is received. We will begin with Mass at 5:15 PM each evening, then Confessions will be heard during the talks. May the Lord bless this mission and both those who give the mission and those who attend it.
Another thing we are doing is showing “The Search.” This is a video series from The Augustine Institute (FORMED.ORG) which asks questions about the meaning of life. It is done with some great photography and asks basic, perennial questions about life. We are showing it at The Hangar beginning September 20th at 6:30 PM for free. It will show every Tuesday except November 1 until November 8th, one episode at a time. One can also see the videos on FORMED.ORG. You might want to view them in the context of a small group, or even alone in your own home. For this reason, we are offering you the opportunity to gather in small groups – either the groups you have been in, or one you are forming – in order to view it at the parish or in someone’s home. There will be sign up sheets for small groups in the vestibule of the church if you are looking for a group to join. For more information, see the article elsewhere in this bulletin.
I consider it a blessing to be your pastor.

Father Albert, O.S.B.