Dear Parishioners:
Advent is moving right along! We are celebrating Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday with the rose vestments and pink candle
that reminds us that we are almost there.
This year, since Christmas falls on Sunday, we have a full four weeks of
Advent. Have any of you found yet that
it gave you more time to get things done?
That certainly hasn’t happened for me!
I have wanted to share for awhile
that we are experiencing a rather interesting phenomenon lately. Various families are working with us to see
to it that their children and other members of the family are getting “caught
up” on the Sacraments. We have had
several children experiencing Baptism, First Reconciliation and First Holy
Communion at varied times with their families and others in attendance. Just before Thanksgiving, we we delighted to
welcome the Mays family into Full Communion in the Catholic Church.
We are also finding that various
families who have come to join our parish from different cultural backgrounds
are seeking to find ways to integrate themselves among us. They come often due to educational
opportunities at O.S.U. or one of the nearby hospitals. They walk with us for a time, then seek to
establish formal ties and to work with us to pass on the Faith to their
children.
These situations often require
special efforts outside the norm to catechize and to ensure that there is a
clear understanding of the Faith and the Sacraments they are receiving. We are in need of helpers who would be
willing to work with us and these families as they appear. Can you see yourself helping some children or
even whole families find their place in the Church? Would you – and even your own children if
they are peers to the newcomers – be willing to assist? In the near future, I hope to arrange a time
to meet with you and to let you know how you can begin to prepare for such
opportunities.
We are a growing community and the
fact that we are meeting friends from the world over who want to join us tells
us that we are on the right track. The
Faith we share has something for everybody.
Let us rejoice to know that the Lord
is Coming!
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