FROM FR. SCOTT: January 15, 2023
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January 13, 2023Dear Parish Family,
This Sunday we move back into Ordinary Time and listen to the renewed and deepened call of the Lord to Isaiah to be a light to the nations, pointing out God's way of salvation by his words and manner of life. John the Baptist also understands his call to point out Christ our Savior to those in his time. We too must receive and renew God's call for us to acknowledge Christ the Lord by our words and actions. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ to enter the human heart in Baptism. As Christ lives in us through our Baptism, might we resolve to let His living image and presence shine through our words and actions this day and everyday?
Little Books for Lent and Easter
The Little Blue Books we gave out for the Advent and Christmas season were very popular! We will be increasing our order size for the Little Black Books (Lent) and Little White Books (Easter) to hand these out to you before each season. We hope these books will help you connect with the Church's liturgical season, devotions, and daily readings. We will let you know when they are available for distribution before Lent.
New Year's Reminders
With the New Year well underway, this is a great time to check in on a number of things:- Parish Membership: have you changed addresses, emails, phone numbers in the past year? If so, please contact our parish office to make sure your information is up to date. If you have joined the parish but never filled out a registration form, please call or stop by our parish office to register. If your children have moved away from the parish, you may want to remind them to register at the parish they attend if they have not already done so.
- Sacramental Visitations: If you or a loved one need a sacramental visit (Confession, Communion, Anointing), please contact our parish office or see one of our priests or deacons after Mass to get a visit scheduled, and let us know if you want to be added to our prayer list in our bulletin. We need you or a family member to let us know where you are and what you need so we can reach out. You may wish to relay your wishes to a family member to act on your behalf should you not be able to reach out yourself. With the shortage of priests, please don't wait until the last minute to request Last Rites (Confession, Communion, Anointing). We care about you and want to pray with you, but we do need you and your family to communicate your needs to us.
- Funeral Planning: We have blue Funeral Pre-Planning folders available in our parish office and in the info racks in the gathering space of the church. The folders contain an introductory letter from me, funeral guidelines, cremation guidelines, a funeral liturgy planning form, and a pamphlet on leaving a legacy gift to the parish. Pre-planning a funeral helps family members know your wishes and the wishes of the Church when it comes to cremation, burial, and having a Funeral Mass. Your family will appreciate you taking the time do the planning, and it will give you the peace of mind that your final arrangements are in order and in keeping with the teachings of Christ and His Church.
- Ministry Involvement: We are always in need of ministers to help serve in various capacities in the parish. Whether that's taking on a liturgical role at Mass, helping serve a funeral luncheon, taking communion to the sick and homebound, or simply participating in a faith formation opportunity - there's something for you here. Please reach out to me, one of our deacons, or our parish office to learn more about the opportunities available and areas of greatest need.
Fr. Scott Goodfellow
