Dear Friends:
Perhaps it is providence that our First Reading falls on the same weekend that we mark the 20th anniversary of the horrific attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. Today we hear a prophecy from Isaiah of the suffering of Jesus on the cross. But I am focusing on the end of the reading: “…the Lord GOD is my help…” As we remember that day, pray for the family members of the dead, and thanking all of the first responders who were there, let’s remember that through all of it, the Lord GOD was their help. And that’s true today for each of us. When we suffer, we can always count on the Lord being our help!
As many of you will recall, when I came to our parish as your pastor I was also appointed (1) the Canonical Pastor of our Lake Michigan Catholic Schools; (2) the head of our local parish’s collaborative; and (3) the Canonical Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Watervliet. This weekend, I am celebrating all of the masses at St. Joseph, Watervliet as their Pastor. Fortunately, Fr. Patrick Craig is there as the Parish Administrator, so I leave it to his talents to lead the parish regularly. While we all should remember that we have an identity as a parish family, we should also remember our relationship as a collaborative, and the Diocese as a whole.
This week, our parish priests will be at our annual Priest Convocation with Bishop Bradley. These three days are days of prayer, lecture, sharing, and fraternity. Please remember us in your prayers. Because of the Convocation, there are no masses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Of course, parishioners are welcome to gather as they do already for the morning prayer and rosary. Our deacons are also involved with part of the Convocation. Thanks for your patience and prayers during these few important days.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
“Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!”
These words that Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel today are important to us on so many levels. For the deaf man with a speech impediment, these words meant being able to hear again and speak plainly. But if Jesus says those words to us today, what might these words mean? Perhaps Jesus is telling us to be more open to what the scriptures teach us. Maybe he is telling us to be open to something the Church teaches that challenges us. Or he could be telling us to be more open to someone around us. Whatever it is, we should spend some time thinking about what Jesus might be saying to each of us when we hear him say, “Be opened!”
It goes without saying, that it was a historic week as we celebrated the various rites and Mass of Christian Burial for our beloved Pastor Emeritus, Monsignor Sears. The outpouring of love and prayers for him was inspiring and uplifting for all of us. On one visit to Monsignor, I asked him what we as a parish could do for him. He simply responded, “pray.” We did that, and we continue to pray for the happy repose of his soul.
If you wish to visit his final place of rest, Monsignor’s grave is at our very own Resurrection Cemetery, buried alongside a few of our predecessors who once served as Pastor of the parish. His grave is located in the back of the cemetery, on the right, very near the back of the cemetery that has an incredible view of Lake Michigan.
Finally, many thanks to those who did so much planning and work that helped make our celebrations for him so great. That includes our office staff, choirs and musicians, sacristans, servers, ushers, funeral home personnel, special friends who assisted us, Tosi’s and Bit of Swiss who provided the funeral lunch, Fr. Jim Morris, the Knights of Columbus who stayed with his body all night in the church and many others. We pray, hope, and are convinced that Monsignor is now looking down from heaven interceding for us.
Eternal rest grant unto your servant and priest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace, and may his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
The pause of last week now gives way to continuing the work of our parish. First, of course, we all mark the “unofficial” end to the summer as we mark Labor Day tomorrow. This “long weekend” gives us a chance to have a little extra break, but we should remember why this is a national holiday. The Church includes the dignity of work and the rights of workers as one of the foundational 7 principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Those who labor should be rightly respected, as work is a way to participate in God’s creation. Together, we must protect the basic rights of all people to find jobs and be paid a just wage. These are just a few elements of the Church’s teachings on the rights of workers. Today, there are 5% of our brothers and sisters who are unemployed in our country. We should offer some special prayers for those who desire to work and cannot find employment.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ! (By the way, we need to work on that response “Now and Forever” I hope we will use at the end of my weekend homilies!) Happy Labor Day!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
This weekend is very special as the Diocese of Kalamazoo begins its “Jubilee Year of the Holy Spirit.” The jubilee year begins on August 28, the feast of our diocesan patron, Saint Augustine, and lasts through June 5, 2022 (Pentecost Sunday). The purpose of the jubilee year, as created by Bishop Bradley, is to “…prayerfully beseech the Holy Spirit to pour out his abundant, powerful gifts upon our diocese, all our parishes, and on each member of the clergy and faithful.” Last week the diocese sent us a very extensive list of goals and objectives for this jubilee year, as well as numerous guidelines and suggestions for every parish to follow. The document that was sent to us contains so much information, it is a little hard to take in at one time. But I’ll be asking for help with this, in order to implement it, the best we can. Stay tuned for information on this special year.
By the way, it’s because of the special jubilee year that, this weekend, every parish in the diocese is celebrating “votive masses of the Holy Spirit” in place of the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. It’s a great way for the diocese to begin this year.
Just a reminder for those who have fruits and vegetables in abundance to bring them to church and put them on our “harvest table” in the main vestibule. If you are a parishioner who doesn’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the farm, feel free to take whatever you’d like from the table. It is a great way for us to share our goods, with one another.
Please remember to keep in your prayers Andrew Glotzbach, Andy Schmidt, and Ben Johnston who are beginning or returning to their seminaries, religious studies, and mission work. It is always a great sign to see vocations to the priesthood or religious life coming from our parish. God the Holy Spirit has certainly blessed us, and we pray that more and more young people from our parish would consider priesthood or religious life.
In a few weeks, we will be asking parishioners to consider volunteering as lectors, ushers, or altar servers. We especially need more kids to serve at Mass, as COVID and other circumstances slowed this down over the past year and a half. Now is the time to ask the Holy Spirit to inspire people to consider signing up for these very important ministries in our parish.
Speaking of signing up, as you know, we have been providing people the opportunity to sign up for spending an hour with Jesus during the week so that we can return to having perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Signing up has become even easier! Simply go to our parish website (stjoestjoe.church) and click on the “worship” tab. You’ll see “Adoration Chapel” in the dropdown menu. Click on that, and it will bring you to a page that tells all about the chapel, as well as a link the shows the days and hours where adorers are needed. I’d encourage people to look especially, on Monday night and Tuesday morning. If those slots could fill, then we could expand adoration from Monday evening to Wednesday night. Right now, we only have Tuesday morning to Wednesday night “covered.” Many thanks to Adam and Tina Kohler who are heading up this effort, and many thanks to all of you for considering a time that might work for you. I’ve signed up… I hope you will, too!
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
After the great celebration of the Assumption of Mary last weekend, we return to the Sundays of Ordinary Time with today being the twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the First Reading, Joshua sure lays it out clearly: “If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve… as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” The Gospel mirrors this well, as Jesus’ teachings leave some to choose to walk away from the Lord. To them, Jesus’ teachings are too hard. So, the obvious question for us today is to ask ourselves, “Who will we serve… is it the Lord and his teaching?” The answer can only come through some serious prayer and reflection.
The Summer sure flies by as students are now returning to school. In our Lake Michigan Catholic Schools, classes begin tomorrow and we are off and running. Because of the recent rise in COVID cases in our surrounding area, we are returning (in the schools) to following certain COVID protocols. Parents and families of our LMC schools continue to be updated on what those protocols are. As of the time I write this column (Monday), there are no changes to our protocols for masses, meetings, etc. However, we will keep a close eye on it and follow guidelines as they are given to us. Please remember to respect those who wish to wear masks or follow their wishes. The recent rise in COVID cases should remind us, if possible, to get our vaccines! Anyway, let’s pray for one another and that this temporary rise subsides soon.
Speaking of the beginning of the school year, I look forward to teaching the Sophomore Theology class. The course is on the Sacraments and the Creed. I’ll be teaching each week, alternating from Tuesday and Thursday, one week and, Wednesday and Friday the following week. Father Arul will also be teaching on alternate Mondays, while also serving as the campus minister. I’m glad to be back in the school teaching, and I hope it exhibits my passion for Catholic School education. Let’s pray for a successful school year. And even though school is starting, there is still time to enroll! And remember that I still have a small fund for tuition assistance for our parishioners. There are some simple guidelines, but please contact me if you are interested.
This week we have a Parish Finance Council meeting scheduled, and I am happy to say that our parish finances are strong, but we continue to see Sunday collections lower than has been traditionally seen at our parish. Obviously, that affects our overall financial strength. So, please keep that in mind as you make your weekly, consistent contributions. Every year, I mail out a financial report in October for the previous fiscal year. That way, we are transparent in our budget, and everyone has a chance to see our temporal information and data.
Have a good week and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
This weekend is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Only on very special occasions do special feasts replace the normal weekend Gospel. We pause, then, to remember when our Blessed Mother was assumed, body and soul into heaven. Sometimes this feast was called the “Dormition” of Mary, signifying the day when Mary “fell asleep” into Eternal Life. One interesting theological question is whether or not Mary died at the end of her life on earth. Pope Saint John Paul II in his general audience on June 25, 1997, said “…since Christ died, it would be difficult to maintain the contrary for his Mother.” Her Assumption reminds us that where she goes, we hope to one day follow!
Having been here for only 9 months, I have certainly learned what a challenge it is to have “two” churches… downtown and at south. It has been particularly difficult on Sundays, as I know some have said. Please understand, though, that the reason I am downtown more often than at our “south” church is usually because of baptisms, weddings, or funerals that take place downtown. For example, we have had a lot of baptisms recently on Sundays. And we are so fortunate to have Fr. Arul and Fr. Tran to be our Associate Pastors who often celebrate the Sunday masses at South. I include this today so that we are reminded why we come to Mass: the Eucharist. I think sometimes we fail to remember that. During this time that we are reflecting on the “Bread of Life” discourses, we are especially encouraged to focus on the source and summit of our faith… Christ actually presents to us at Mass: Body, Soul, and Divinity. Thanks in advance for understanding.
Last Saturday, I announced that I am returning to the classroom in our Catholic schools… as I’ll be teaching the sophomore theology class. I also announced that Fr. Arul will be serving as a campus minister. We are both very excited to be present in our schools regularly. As you know, my college studies began in education… having received my degree and license as a high school teacher. It’s a time commitment, for sure, but our kids and our schools are worth it! Remember, there is still time to enroll in our schools… and I still have some financial assistance money available for our parishioners who may need a little extra help in enrolling their kids for the first time!
This Wednesday, I look forward to being present for a little while at the Berrien County Youth Fair… hopefully providing some “priestly presence” at our booth. I’m very grateful to those who have organized and are participating in the Fair; representing our parish. As always, we continue to pray and support all of our youth in the parish, and we will continue to work towards involving more and more young people and providing them opportunities to grow closer to the Lord.
Please remember to keep in your prayers the success of our Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Soon we will be providing cards in the pews that will ask parishioners to consider giving one hour a week to the Lord. This will be done at Sts. John and Bernard as well. So please give that some thought and prayer.
Finally, as you know, the COVID virus is in the headlines again, as we see the number of cases grow nationwide…especially in certain places. As of the time I write this column, the bishop has told us that he doesn’t intend to reinstate a mask mandate for now. But, we’ve seen people wearing their masks again at Mass, which is perfectly fine. Please remember to respect those who wish to wear a mask. At the same time, we continue to see attendance at Mass growing, especially at certain Masses. All of this is a good reminder for us, if possible, to receive a vaccine not only for ourselves but also for those around us. Of course, it is the decision of each one of us. But it is a good thing to bring to prayer.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
This weekend we continue our reflection on the “Bread of Life” discourses with the passage where Jesus refers to Himself as the “Bread of Life.” Understandably, there was confusion when Jesus said, “I am the Bread that came down forever.” However, notice something else that Jesus said. He said, “They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.” As I reflect on this, I am reminded that some are equally confused or simply do not believe what happens at every Mass. A miracle happens! We believe that the bread and wine on the altar become the actual Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. If we are in doubt, then listen to Jesus tell us “They shall all be taught by God.” In other words, we can believe more and more in the Eucharist if we let God teach us more… but we have to want to be taught first!
Something our parishioners don’t usually see is the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism. I usually celebrate them after the 10:00 AM Mass on Sundays. We have had a good number of baptisms recently. And it is always a joy to watch the reaction of parents, godparents, other families, and friends gather around the font witnessing this great moment. Every time I baptize, it reminds me of my baptismal call, and I always invite the people to do the same as they renew their baptismal promises. As an aside, I also like to celebrate baptisms during a Sunday Mass once in a while. It is a reminder to us that baptism is not a private moment. Instead, it is a community event, because the person is brought into the Christian community. I’d encourage everyone to pray about their baptism (even if you can’t remember it) and consider what that meant to us. It washed away original sin… it gave us special grace… it brought us into the community of believers… and it marked our souls for all eternity. This is something we should never forget!
You will recall that, a few weeks ago, I invited our parishioners to consider making funeral “pre-arrangements” with the parish in a similar way that many do with a local funeral home. I’m happy to say that we have had several parishioners take advantage of this opportunity. If you are interested, let us know. The process is simple. First, a person goes to our website and finds the link for funeral planning. This gives people time to reflect on the readings, choose music, and more. It gives information about the “structure” of the services. For example, would you like a service at the funeral home or a funeral Mass? Who will read the readings? Does anyone want to give a eulogy at the funeral home, the cemetery, or the lunch after? Also, at the same time, the person calls the parish office and makes an appointment with one of the priests to go over your wishes. All of your information is filed, and when that day comes, almost everything is ready and makes it much easier for friends and family to make arrangements. Thus, I continue to invite anyone to take this opportunity.
Calling all parish organizations! Next month, I will be announcing the details for a registration process for all parish organizations. This will include many things… the name of the group, its activities, the number of members, contact information, and more. We want to be able to show people what we have to offer. Plus, we learn what groups are out there. Sometimes we don’t even know! There are some other plans for this process. But for now, you might want to start thinking about this. Consider what the function of the group is, the members, and the leadership. More information to come next month.
Finally, isn’t great to see more and more people come to Mass on the weekend? What a difference that makes in our worship. We all have the opportunity to be united with Christ in the Eucharist. That is something to celebrate, and we should invite others to join us at the table of the Lord!
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ… Now and forever.
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
This weekend we continue our reflection on the scriptures at Mass with the “Bread of Life Discourses.” We hear Jesus say, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” I wonder how often we take the time to reflect on these words of Jesus. In many ways, they are among the most important passages in the Gospels. How often we hear the Old Testament prophecies of the Eucharist! The Eucharist, the source and summit of our Catholic faith, is first and foremost among the Sacraments. The Eucharist is the very center of our spiritual life. As I have said in two recent homilies, recent research shows that a large majority of Catholics do not believe in, the True Presence. My guess is that belief in the Eucharist has waned over time, to the point of disbelief… but I hope unintentionally. For that reason, we must intentionally do what we can to renew our belief in the True Presence of Jesus… Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. That’s something we need to continue to work on and pray about!
One of the things I have been excited about is the very obvious increase in attendance at Mass. I’m sure you have noticed it, too. Of course, as people get vaccinated, more and more people are comfortable attending Mass. I think there is also a great spirit in our parish that people hear about. I always like to remind us that we are a parish; not individual parishioners. To that end, we must find ways to reach out to one another when the opportunity is there
In my other parish assignments, I have often created a “harvest table” where parishioners can share their bounty of excess fruits and vegetables that they have grown in their garden. Those of you who have gardens know that you often have enough tomatoes, zucchini, and more to feed the entire state. Sometimes these foods go to waste. So, starting next weekend, we will put a table in the vestibule and mark it “harvest table.” If you have grown more food than you know what to do with, or just want to take some of what you have grown and share it with others, simply come and place these things on the table. Then, if you are a parishioner who doesn’t have a garden, or there is some fruit or vegetable that you can use, just pick it up on the way out of the church. If there is any excess produce leftover after a weekend, it will either be donated or “reused” as compost on the parish grounds. Again, it is a great way to be there for each other during harvest time!
This Saturday, August 7, I look forward to hosting a retreat/in-service for our Lake Michigan Catholic Schools school board, our principals, and other leaders in our schools. I have spent a long time examining our schools and I have ways that I’d like to see our schools have a fresh start and take advantage of new opportunities. Eventually, I will share these things with everyone. In the meantime, please continue to pray for the success of our schools. And remember, for our parishioners we have some monies held at the parish for tuition assistance. So, remember to take advantage of that if it will help families bring their kids to our LMC schools.
Finally, over the coming days, we will be reaching out to our young people to get our altar server program moving in full force again. We will reach out to servers who were put on standby when COVID hit, and we will be looking for new altar servers, too! If you have kids that are interested in being altar servers, please let us know. Training (or re-training) will begin once the school year has begun.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
We learn in today’s readings that we can bring all of our concerns and troubles before Jesus. He will take care of them in abundance. We are challenged today to live differently, to put all our worries and concerns with the Lord, and to trust in Him; we are assured that He listens and comforts us in the Eucharist. Daily we need to make this offering of our concerns and cares to Jesus, like the concern of feeding so many who were brought before Him. As we hear and reflect on these readings, we should pray that we—and many others—grow more and more in love with Jesus present in the Eucharist.
Just a reminder that registration continues for our Lake Michigan Catholic Schools. I have been working hard on a plan for the future of our schools, and I look forward to sharing that with everyone in the next few weeks. I want to extend a special invitation to those families who are considering our schools but may need financial assistance, to come to me and discuss it. Some individual donors have come forward and provided me some limited funds to assist families in being able to send their kids to our schools for the 2021-2022 school year. The assistance is for new families who wish to attend our schools, or for those who may have left our schools in previous years and would like to return. The monies are also limited to registered, participating members of our parish. I hope this opportunity will encourage more families to consider utilizing the great gift of Catholic School education for their children.
Speaking of schools, I will be gone for a few days this week attending meetings in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These meetings will contain information about growing trends in Catholic School education. I look forward to speaking with priests and other colleagues from across the country about Catholic School education and learn about new ideas that have led to growing and strengthening Catholic Schools. I am grateful to a private donor who has made it possible for me to attend these meetings. Please continue to pray for the success of our schools!
This weekend we will begin a “campaign” to get our adoration chapel going again… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as it once was. Today I make a special appeal to those who used to take part in adoration before the COVID pandemic. Will you please consider returning once again? During the month of August, we will continue working towards our goal of constant prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in our chapel. Keep this in your prayers!
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
Beginning this weekend and for the next few weeks, Bishop Bradley has suggested that all of the priests throughout the diocese incorporate the “source and summit” of our faith… the Eucharist… into our Sunday reflections and homilies. His inspired idea allows us to unite with all of our brothers and sisters throughout the diocese in renewing our understanding and love for the Eucharist. These days as people are returning to Mass, we have a perfect opportunity to revisit who the Eucharist is, and why the Eucharist is so important to us.
We learn in today’s readings that we can bring all of our concerns and troubles before Jesus. He will take care of them in abundance. We are challenged today to live differently, to put all our worries and concerns with the Lord, and to trust in Him; we are assured that He listens and comforts us in the Eucharist. Daily we need to make this offering of our concerns and cares to Jesus, like the concern of feeding so many who were brought before Him.
What a tremendous success last Sunday’s events turned out to be! Everything came together so well for the Mass at Shadowland Pavilion and the Parish Picnic that followed. Even though some were concerned that it was on the same weekend as the Art Fair, we certainly proved that they were a nice complement to each other. Some went from the picnic to the fair, and it was all in one nice stretch. The parking worked well, the liturgy went flawlessly, and the picnic was terrific. If you weren’t there, you missed out! The picnic had great food, games for the young people, bingo, a popcorn machine, and so much more. To give you an idea of how many people were there, we know that 500 meals were served. The Pavilion was packed with people for the Mass, and many used their chairs on the grassy area that surrounds the “stage.” Everything was free of charge, and we were able to afford it with various donations from you, our parishioners, through your generous giving in the Sunday collections, an extremely successful Bishop’s Annual Appeal where some money was returned to the parish, and other special donations from you. I strongly believe that we live in a world where no matter what we do, it seems we always have to ask for money! This year, I wanted to be sure we returned your generosity in a unique way that benefitted everyone. By the way, on top of all of this, it never rained! God surely was good to us last weekend. Many thanks to those who worked so hard to make it a wonderful day.
The biggest question that I heard was, “will we do this again?” Most certainly! I will work with the Parish Council and others for future social events and an annual Picnic. It was so great to be together, and I am quite certain that our picnic next year will be even bigger when people hear how great the day was.
On an entirely different note, I wanted to make mention of the security system you have probably noticed around our grounds. You’ll notice security cameras and soon, doors will be keyed electronically so that we can give the parish greater flexibility to effectively address the needs of our facilities and parishioners. Sadly, we saw the need for it a few months ago when the church was broken into. I want to thank our Parish Finance Council and my predecessor, Fr. Tom McNally, for approving this project before I arrived as pastor. Their foresight will undoubtedly help us in many ways.
This Wednesday is a special day in the history of our Diocese as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of her establishment by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1971. It’s a good idea to offer prayers of thanksgiving to God for our local church in Southwest Michigan. Some of our “seasoned” parishioners may recall when our parish was part of the Diocese of Lansing before 1971. Since then, we have been led by Bishops Donovan, Markiewicz, Murray, and Bradley. We should thank God, for their guidance of this local church over the last 50 years as well.
Have a great week, and Praised be Jesus Christ! Fr. John
Dear Friends:
One thing that I don’t think people often notice is how Jesus preaches and teaches, but after every effort has been made he allows people to go. We hear Jesus instruct the Apostles, “Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” Jesus isn’t saying to give up on people. But he is reminding us that we can only do so much. Of course, we must make every effort to encourage others in their faith journey. But we can’t force them, either. Jesus says something similar in John 6:60-69. I’m not going to tell you what he said…. Here’s a good opportunity to pull out our bible and read the scriptures!
Today is a special day in our parish as we celebrate the Year of Saint Joseph and “unofficially” our celebration that many of the guidelines and restrictions are behind us (and hopefully will stay that way!). And our celebration after Mass with a parish picnic is very special for us. We are honored to have Bishop Bradley as our Principal Celebrant for Mass. I want to thank those who are making this Mass possible. There are too many people to mention by name, but it takes a lot of people to make something like this happen.
I also want to thank those parishioners who were able to participate this weekend. Thanks also to those who were patient about the changes in the weekend Mass schedule. By celebrating fewer masses at the churches, there was much more that we were able to do for the Mass and picnic at Shadowland Pavilion. It is always difficult when changes are made. But sometimes the benefits far outweigh the challenges!
Hasn’t it been great to see attendance growing at Mass? One thing that I have learned about our parish is how much the people participate. In the assignments that I have had, I have never heard a congregation sing as we do. I mention this only to say that post-COVID is sure showing me how vibrant and active our parish is, and to see where we can grow and elevate what we already have. So many thanks to you, and many thanks to God for His strength, guidance, and inspiration.
You may be aware that the Diocese of Kalamazoo will celebrate her 50th anniversary since she became a diocese in 1971. This is a huge milestone for what can still be called a “young” diocese. As part of this celebration, and recognizing the need for us all to renew our love for the source and summit of our faith, the Eucharist, Bishop Bradley has asked all of the parishes in the diocese to spend five consecutive weekends to reflect on the Eucharist, especially in our homilies.
I’m hoping that this will be a good time to spend refreshing participation and prayer in our “perpetual” Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. In preparation for this, I am appealing to those who were once involved with our adoration chapel to renew their commitment. From there, I will turn to new folks to take an hour to be with Jesus each week. People can even sign up for times on our parish website at https://stjoestjoe.church/adoration-chapel. We will reflect more on all of this soon, but now is a good time to start preparing our hearts and prayers for this special time.
Finally, we are gearing up for the return of our young people to regular participation as altar servers. We will be contacting the families of kids who are already on our “roster” before COVID, and I ask young people in 5th grade and up to consider becoming altar servers. More information to come.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John