Pastor's Note: November 17, 2024

Dear friends,
A heartfelt THANK YOU to Mari Barringer and Sarah Lenert and their team for a wonderful (and successful!) Dinner Auction last weekend. And to all those that attended and supported- thank you!  Whenever the community comes together, like we did at the auction and like we do whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, we renew and strengthen the bonds of Faith, Hope and Love that join us to the Lord Jesus and to one another! Thank you! 

Last week, on Friday, I attended a workshop at the Rigali Center (HQ of the Archdiocese) on outreach and ministry to the LGBTQ+ community.  I learned a lot: the information was presented by experts in a few different disciplines. So, now the question becomes: what do I do with all this information that I learned and how do I integrate into my pastoral ministry?

My first (and honest) answer is: I’m not sure.  My second answer is:  I do feel equipped to talk about these things when they come up and I feel ready to talk to someone who comes to me (or the Church) wanting to talk about it.  

This leads to the all-important task of defining what “it” is that I’ve learned about and am ready to talk about. “It” is this:  
Someone’s experience of same-sex attraction feelings and their response to it. 
Someone’s experience of the Church’s response in the past.
Someone’s desire to talk about it and just have someone listen to their story, their experience. 
Someone’s experience (or maybe questioning) of a path forward and where is Jesus on that path.

So, just know that your pastor is learning new things and is always ready to simply listen and help anyone pray and encounter Jesus in their life experience.

Time to starting about the “holiday season”.
Thanksgiving Day Morning Mass: 8am
December 9, the Solemnity of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation: 6:45 & 8:15am; 5:30pm
Christmas Eve: 4, 6 and 10pm
Christmas Morning: 8 and 10am 

Know that you are loved dearly and prayed for daily. 
Fr. Craig