I want to remind you of our upcoming Blue Mass which will be held on September 29 at 8am. The purpose of the Blue Mass is to pray for those who serve us as police, firefighters, and EMTs. Please spread the word to your friends and family, especially if they serve in this area. If you are a first responder please plan on attending this Mass if you are able. There will be a reception to follow to thank them for all that they do for our community.
Secondly, I return to the topic of our Parish Town Hall which was held this past week. Here it was discussed that it can be confusing at times to know what ministries exist at our parish. An idea was brought up to have the various ministry leaders come together to share their ideas and hardships with one another. It was highlighted that the parish has been stagnant with membership growth for some time. This stagnant period has effected parish finances, but through our participation in the OSV program we have great tools at our disposal. This directed our conversation to the need of a missionary spirit. This missionary spirit includes the need to continue to educate not only our youth in the faith, but also adults through various bible studies and studies of our faith.
Our youth programs were also highlighted during our discussion. This included mentioning the importance of our parish school as a ministry to our parish and community. It was mentioned that we need find ways to support Stephanie and invest in the youth of our parish. We also thanked Judy for the wonderful job that she does with our faith formation program.
The above is only a small sample of our discussion. I invite you to join us at future Parish Town Hall Meetings in order that we may continue to expound upon these ideas and other ideas which will bring us together as the Body of Christ and send us forth into the world to bring other souls into an encounter with Christ.
In Christ,
Fr. Dustin Collins
