Dear St. Louis Parishioners,
Last Sunday was one of those days. One of those days when I head back to the rectory in the afternoon and I’m pretty tired. But, filled with joy and peace. It was a great joy to see so many of our parishioners coming together for time of fellowship: adults connecting and reconnecting, meeting new people, as well as enjoying time with old friends, and finally the joy of the children running around and playing together. Thank you to the CCW for providing and serving our refreshments. Thank you to our parishioners who served as hosts, John and Sarah Larsen and Kimberly Scott. And thank you to all who came out to both give and receive hospitality, to be those living stones through whom the Lord builds His house! If you couldn’t make it yet this month, there will be plenty more opportunities, as this new monthly event finally kicks off. Over the course of the past year, we have had a handful of opportunities for our children to play together in our gym or elsewhere on our grounds. Part of the idea behind “Second Sunday, Stay and Play” is to make those opportunities a more regular, consistent and frequent reality. It was awesome to see that desire begin to be fulfilled. As I have mentioned before, it is our hope to continue to expand what we can make available for our younger families. For that reason, we have one of our rooms set aside specifically for child care, especially for those small groups designed for parents. The specifics of its use are still being worked out, as we continue to seek feedback from parents regarding need and to explore possibilities for meeting those need with parishioners. If you have any questions or input regarding the possibilities of childcare opportunities, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. But, I have asked a specific patron saint to take on the task of praying that the Lord’s will regarding child care continue to unfold for us, and that saint is (you guessed it) also the patron of the room set aside for that purpose: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (front cover). Aloysius is the inspiration behind a very simple motto that I would certainly hope that our children would take to heart, but also continue to model for the rest of us: “Be A Saint Today.” As a young seminarian, Aloysius believed the Lord had big plans for his future, since he felt called to the priesthood. But, he did not let that cause him to lose sight of the call to be a saint today! He is a great example for young people in remembering that they need not wait until they grow up to be a saint. We have been reflecting the past few weeks on how much we as adults have our faith deepened and even challenged by the example of children. May they continue to remind us all not to wait, but to be a saint today! Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us!
ROOF REPAIRS: As we continue to reflect on the good things the Lord is doing through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and the use of the gym for youth ministry and various fellowship opportunities, I want to share some news with you. Under the recommendation of members of both the Finance Council and the Building and Grounds Committee, work will begin in the (hopefully) very near future on replacing the roof over the gym and the atrium (north wing). With projects of this sort, any number of factors can arise that make the timeframe uncertain, but it is the current hope that work will begin before the end of 2018, or as early as possible in 2019. Please keep the success of this work in your prayers, as it will enable us to continue to provide great opportunities for discipleship, formation and fellowship for years to come.
NEW SERVERS: It has been a joy to train six new altar servers this year, as well as to allow the rest of the servers help me welcome them to the ranks at our second annual Altar Server Retreat this weekend. This year’s retreat focused on “Liturgy, Life and Vocation”. So, may we all grow to appreciate more deeply the connection between Mass and the rest of our lives, wherein the Lord reveals His will for our lives.
In Christ through Mary,
Fr. Gifford
St. Louis, pray for us!
Blessed Mary, Queen Mother of the King of Kings, pray for us!