I hope you are taking some time to relax this summer. In the midst of unrest, terrorism, violence, police shootings, presidential campaigns, Pokemon, and just the general stresses of life, it can be very difficult to experience the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We have to be reminded that no matter what happens, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. He invites us to spend some quiet time with Him and to hear the words once again, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” We can stay busy and miss His presence or take some time to reflect on it, so that when we interact with others we are more mindful and aware of His loving care.
I am grateful to all those who have been working on the Domestic Violence Ministry, especially Sylvia Hiple, for coordinating the ministry and setting up future programs to help all of us be aware of this horrible reality in our communities.
During August and September, there will be some small fund raisers to help WINGS. Their mission is to provide housing, education services and advocacy to end domestic violence. The hope is to create a society in which every survivor has a voice and the resources to break the cycle of domestic violence.
During October, Respect Life Month, we will have a speaker at all the Masses to give us more information and raise our consciousness.
Our Parish Pastoral Council is not meeting during the month of July. In August, they will finalize the comments from our Long Range Pastoral Plan and develop a plan with objectives and goals for the future of our Parish. It will include the areas of Music and Liturgy, Christian Formation, Technology and Communication, and accomplishments since we started the Plan 3 years ago. More will be said about this next month.
We are still looking over plans for Homeland Security and our campus, and the intricacies of fire suppression (sprinkling) in our school building.
In September, we will publish the financial report. I am happy to report that our initial review of the fiscal year ending June 30 was positive, and we have paid all of our bills to date.