Dear Parishioners,
On
Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025,
after the 11 AM Mass you are invited to attend our Meet the Ministries Luncheon.
Primarily,
we want to bring our parishioners together for a social opportunity in which we
can meet one another and be introduced to the various groups, ministries and
organizations currently active in the parish. In our parish hall (and the adjacent
courtyard, weather permitting), we will have tables of representatives from the
various parish organizations and ministries explaining who they are, what they
do, when they meet, etc. We encourage our parishioners to find out more about
the various ministry opportunities currently available in our parish.
Pentecost is seen as the birthday of the Church
when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The
Church came alive and began to spread from those tongues of fire which the early Church received from God (see Acts
2 ff.) It is my hope and prayer that the same Holy Spirit will help our parish
to grow and flourish in various ways as we join together, first in prayer and
worship, then in fellowship leading to ongoing Christian service.
You
are invited to hear more about our catechists,
lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, choir/music
ministry, and ushers. You can see
what is involved with Faith and Justice,
Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, Small Christian
Communities, Spanish Ministry, etc. Maybe you would like to be part of
bereavement/consolation, volunteer to work in the parish office, consider
preparing the altar linens, be a member of the pastoral/parish council, go on a
retreat, help plan a parish picnic, assist decorating the church or see where
you might find your particular niche within our parish.
In
my various assignments as pastor, people would sometimes say they were “never
invited” or that only a “select group of people” did everything. Well, you are hereby invited to come and see.
You are invited to join us for lunch. You are invited to meet other
parishioners. You are invited to consider getting involved in whatever capacity
you may see yourself being drawn.
We
all should realize that the Church is considered Catholic or universal for a reason. The Gospel message goes out to
all the world and people are invited to respond to the invitation of the Lord. God never forces us to do anything. He
freely invites us to “Come and See” (Jn. 1:39) to “Follow Me” (Jn. 1:43) and to
“Make Disciples” (Mt. 28:19). As your current shepherd, I should follow Christ’s
example. I extend my personal invitation to all my parishioners to help build and
grow this parish for the greater
honor and glory of God. I cannot do this alone!
If
you plan to attend our luncheon, please notify the parish office before June 1 indicating your name and
the number of people coming so that we can adequately plan for lunch. We want
this to be a memorable time for all. However, I do not have the ability to multiply loaves and fish on the spot
as Jesus did, so please let us know you are coming!
May
the Holy Spirit continue to build, strengthen and guide the Church and our
parish! Please do your part to make this happen!
Fr.
Ed Namiotka
Pastor
