Pastor’s Letter & November 21 Bulletin

Pastor’s Letter & November 21 Bulletin

19 Nov 2021 | Posted by: chadmin

The November 21 bulletin is now available online. 

Dear friend,

The Solemnity of Christ the King marks the end of the Liturgical Cycle. Every year we begin anew with the Season of Advent. In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus says that His Kingdom does not belong to this world. As we celebrate Christ the King of the Universe, this feast invites us to reflect on all things created by God to love and serve God. As the world has a growing level of secularism, the Church offers this feast day as a reminder that we are not our own gods. We are not in control of all things in our lives. Our gifts and talents exist for service of God and neighbor and not the pursuit of selfish ambitions. As we live under Christ our King, we enter into the great celebration of Advent. We spend the next few weeks preparing to remember the great feast of Christmas. At Christmas, we celebrate God taking human form in the Incarnation and His choice to communicate to us in the first person. The humility of Jesus was evident from His birth in a stable filled with animals all the way to His death on the Cross. The new Church year beginning with Advent is the time for us to prepare our hearts in thanksgiving to receive the gift of God as He offers Himself freely in love. Please take the time this Advent to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to attend Mass more frequently, even daily. While we can never give anything to God he doesn’t possess in Himself, our willing reception of the sacraments acknowledges our thanksgiving for Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross.

We had our annual school auction last Saturday. It was a really nice evening.  We had a great time and raised significant funds to support the education provided by our Catholic school. Every year we have many parents and parishioners volunteer their time, talent and treasure to host a successful event. The last few years we’ve hosted the auction in the Parish Center, partly because of Covid concerns. While the use of the Parish Center limits the number of auction attendees, it allows us to host an event that can be livestreamed while not interrupting the ordinary school schedule. It is nice to use our Parish Center for one of the intended uses when built. One of the most fascinating aspects of the night was the Fund-A-Need cash donations. The Auction Committee offered a variety of school needs that people could choose to financially support. In twenty-one minutes over $23,000 was donated. The whole Fund-A-Need raised over $35,000 to support our school. Mitch Gilfillan did a great job as our Auction Emcee. Special thanks to Caroline LaHood and Amanda Crusen for serving as the Auction Chairpersons. From the acquisition committee, to the decorations, to all the financial support, to those present at the in-person event, to those participating online, this auction was truly a community event. Thank you to all who played a part.  We promise to use all the funds to best educate our parish children.

God bless,

Father David