My Dear Friends:
I can’t thank you enough for the generosity that you showed last weekend during our ABCD campaign. Even though we did not have the traditional video presentation during the homily, you were very kind with your words of encouragement as I sought to use words to bring the video and the campaign to life. (If you would like to view the video, it is posted on our webpage after clicking the ABCD banner.) Many of you made pledges to ABCD in the pews last Sunday, and many of you made pledges from the mailings you received from the Archdiocese earlier this month. We thank you for making a difference in the lives of so many in our archdiocese who depend on our contributions.
If you have yet to contribute or make your pledge to ABCD, please do so today by going to www.isupportabcd.org or filling out one of the pledge envelopes that are still in the pews and placing them in the collection baskets during the offertory. It takes all of us to bring the light and joy of Jesus Christ to so many of our needy brothers and sisters. Pray before you fill out your pledge card, and let the Good Lord guide you as you make this most important act of charity.
As we are about to turn the pages of the calendar to February, we turn our attention now to our new Formation Wednesday series that begins this Wednesday, February 2 at 7pm in Comber Hall. I will be giving the first talk which is simply titled: “What Do We Believe?” During the month of February, we will be breaking open the Catechism of the Catholic Church particularly the beginning of it as we seek to understand our God who longs for us and who has chosen us to be his children. In subsequent weeks leading up to Lent, we delve into our response to God’s calling and particularly God communicating with us in the person of Jesus Christ. I look forward to seeing you this Wednesday night as we begin this new parish endeavor to deepen our faith and understand it better.
This week, we also celebrate Catholic Schools Week. We always extol the virtues of St. Theresa School and its impact on our parish and the community. We need to pray for all our Catholic Schools especially those who are suffering from financial constraints. In the secular world, this week is known as School Choice Week, or some variation of that, because we believe that parents, as primary educators of their children, should be able to freely choose where their children are educated. The theme for this year’s Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” We are blessed that St. Theresa excels in those three virtues thanks to our wonderful teachers and the work of our beloved Carmelite Sisters.
Finally, to return to our theme of formation, tomorrow our parish podcast returns! Every Monday morning, I go deeper into the readings we heard over the weekend and flesh out the homily I delivered even more by adding insight that I usually cannot add during the brief time I have to preach during the Sunday Mass. I encourage you to not only listen to our podcast every Monday (it is usually posted by 11am) but share it as well. It is available on every major podcast platform including Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, and on our parish website. Just search for “Monday Morning Homilist.” It is a labor of love that so many
people enjoy and are nourished by. Tomorrow I invite you to share the link of the podcast with at least two friends who aren’t parishioners. Let’s help get the Good News out!
God bless you all,
