It was wonderful celebrating our parish’s 120th anniversary this past weekend with all of you. Even though I have only been part of the parish for 6 years, I feel much at home here and strengthened by the powerful presence of Christ encountered here. We had over 1700 people celebrate Mass with us this past weekend! It was such a joy to have Archbishop Hebda here and be encouraged by his wisdom. Thank you to all our volunteers and staff that made the event so memorable. Having been Restored to Life this past year, we are being Called Forth by our archbishop to share the love of Christ in our community and beyond. Here are two opportunities to respond to that call:
This weekend we have the opportunity to support the Catholic Church in Uganda. I was in seminary with Fr. Charles, who will be here celebrating Mass this weekend; he is a kind and joyful man. Please welcome him and I thank you for your support of his ministry.
The following weekend, July 30 and 31, we will have info cards for you to pick up and bring to neighbors and friends at National Night Out on August 2. I encourage you to invite your neighbors and community to SJB and it is an easy invitation with a nice SJB postcard. It will have information about a few of our introductory ministries here at SJB. It will have FallFest info on one side and devoted and Watchmen info on the other. It is a great way to invite others to SJB and grow in their relationship with the Lord. I realize we can not invite them to all our ministries, but my hope is that through FallFest, Watchmen, and devoted, people will come to have a positive experience at SJB and grow in their relationship with the Lord. This will hopefully lead to them being more involved in our other ministries for years to come. We will also hand those information cards out at the New Brighton Stockyard Days Parade on August 13.
I will be up north this weekend for my family’s annual gathering. Hoping to catch some sun and fish 🙂 Be assured of my prayers for you and your families.
As the Father loves me, so I also love you,
