Father David’s Letter

Dear Friends in Christ,

It’s time for another one of my “Top 10 List” update letters!  (Just call me Fr. David the Letter Man!! J)  Considering that I will be away for the next couple of weeks – on a family trip and then my annual priest retreat – and during that time won’t have much opportunity to communicate with you, it is incumbent upon me to do so a bit more thoroughly now.  There is much going on and you need to be kept in the loop.  So here goes….

  1. Adoration – I was thrilled that many of you participated in the first of our ten Eucharistic Adoration days for the year! I stopped in periodically throughout the day to check things out, and I was deeply touched by your devotion.  I was profoundly moved in prayer myself that day.  The Lord Jesus Himself only knows what blessings were bestowed over those twelve and a half hours.  Please spread the word for your next Adoration day on October 17.  The more participation the more blessings will come to us!
  1. Feeding God’s Children Food Truck – Last Saturday the Foresters and St. Vincent de Paul Society once again teamed up in providing food for needy families in our community. Families came from more than a dozen neighboring towns in fact, so the outreach is greater than it may seem.  In talking with some of these families I could tell how grateful they were to receive this aid.  This is a wonderful work of mercy that must continue; there is such a great need for it, more than we know.
  1. Montini Ladies’ Bunco Night – For those of you women who participated in this last week, no doubt you will agree it was a hoot! I had the pleasure, along with some of the Knights and other men who served the ladies, to bask in the joy of a roomful of woman having good, clean, silly fun.  I told them at the end it is such a joy to see so many women who work so hard and carry so many burdens having so much fun together.  It really is!  Many thanks to the Montini MPTA for making this fantastic event happen again!
  1. 125th Anniversary Booklet – Keep your eyes and ears open for this booklet coming soon. Especially pay attention to the announcements, even when I’m not here.  This booklet gives a list of events forthcoming, and it is meant to facilitate more participation and easier registration for these events.  We don’t want anyone in the parish or in the community to miss the opportunity of being a part of what we have going on this year!  Bringing in more people can also mean bringing in some more funds, which is a bonus.
  1. Small Christian Communities – You will have heard an announcement about this program this weekend. I was not here to back it up, though I did prepare you for it last week.  This is a joint effort with St. Patrick to bring small groups of us together to deepen our knowledge and understanding through discussions, and to strengthen our bonds with each other through the fellowship of faith.  In truth, we already do this in some ways at St. Mary.  This program is not meant to “reinvent the wheel” or to replace any of the good programs we currently have.  This effort is meant to be an overarching umbrella that enhances everything we do.  Someone who is a part of an existing group can be a part of these small groups.  The goal is to draw people together from all areas of parish life, even mix them together.  However it happens organically.  Studies show that Christians who regularly participate in some version of a small community of faith are more likely to stay active and progress in their faith lives.  The point is to not be isolated, and to stay engaged in faith matters with each other.  Please consider being a part of one of these groups, and even a facilitator if you feel so called.
  1. Spirituality Tap-In – The Foresters are hosting this event next week on October 2nd. Paul White will be the guest speaker / entertainer.  This is an effort to engage folks, especially the younger generations, in a relaxed public setting on matters of faith that are important to them.  I applaud the Foresters for their efforts here!
  1. Life Chain – Next Sunday is the annual Life Chain. From 2:30 to 3:30 we will have the opportunity, and dare I say responsibility, to stand with those who are among the most vulnerable and threatened in our society – the unborn.  We stand with their families, who are often desperate and confused and misled by many lies.  We stand with all people of goodwill, including many of our politicians, who believe that life is sacred and must be protected, period.  We stand with our Creator who made each and every one of us precious and unrepeatable.
  1. SMYL – Next month we will be having the first St. Mary Youth Leadership meeting. Please encourage youth of our parish that you know to consider being a part of this program.  With this work we are paving some new ground at St. Mary, and understandably it may be slow, but with your prayerful assistance and active encouragement we can get this off the ground for the benefit of our kids.
  1. Sanctuary Renovation – You might notice that a couple of items have been moved in the sanctuary. Understand that the process remains in motion.  Slow and steady.
  1. Sound System – The sound quality last week was better than it had been in quite awhile. We had a new processor installed, and the system itself was tweaked some.  Whatever the experts did made a big difference!  We will still be looking into the possibility of upgrading our entire system, or at least part of it.  It is time to come into the modern sound era.

I know this was a bit longer than usual, but these are all things about which I wanted to inform you.  God bless you, and I’ll see you before long!

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. David

 

St. Mary’s 125th Anniversary Celebration is well on its way!

From August 15, 2019 thru August 15, 2020, you can order you St. Mary T-Shirt that portrays the image of our Blessed Mother as rendered by a 2019 Montini graduate and St. Mary parishioner, Rebecca Bodden! There’s more than just T-Shirts to choose from. Go to this link to order choice of style and sizes: https://inktothepeople.com/st-mary-catholic-church-125th-anniversary-/

Here’s something to SMILE about! 🙂 

St. Mary’s Church is now connected with AMAZON.SMILE!  What is Amazon.Smile? Amazon is dedicated to giving back to charitable organizations like our parish. When you buy online at Amazon, you have the opportunity to have .05% of your purchases donated to St. Mary’s by Amazon. When you sign up for AmazonSmile, you’ll be asked to select from over a million of charities to support. But you can skip this step and click on our unique link. Then you’ll be taken to smile.amazon.com and then automatically asked if you want to support St Mary Church. Our unique charity link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2182123

Don’t forget to sign up for St. Mary’s MyParish App today!

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enhance your spiritual life and get updates on what’s happening at St. Mary!Just text App to phone number 88202 or visit myparishapp.com to download. St. Mary’s will not automatically beone of your choices because we are a national parish which means we have no boundaries. Just type in St. Mary 1407 and the site will be available for you to click on and join. Keep yourself up to date on parish events, daily readings, messages, Pope Francis messages, and programs to enhance your faith journey.