I'm working on getting better at this...

Sorry to miss last week's updates; I simply don't know where the time goes.  It feels like there is so much time in a day until the end of the day when I wonder where it has gone.  Probably like many of you, I am trying really hard to reorient my life.  It is so much easier said than done.  But if the past year or so has taught me anything, it is that each day is a gift filled with many blessings, and I need to appreciate each day as it happens.  

News from the Pews

Lent is this coming week!  It seems crazy to think that we are already for Lent, and one of the strange things about Lent is that it does not require preparation because it is a season of preparation, or better, a season of reorientation.  There will lots of things happening this Lent, so please allow me to give you some highlights.  The bulletin and weekly Flocknote will have much more information.

Almsgiving: Our community's almsgiving recipient this Lent is the village of Atase in Ghana, Father Daniel's home village.  Over the past decade he has been working on building a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The next project is to build a rectory next to the church for the priest to stay and minister in the community.  The goal for our Lenten almsgiving is $50,000.  We have a generous donor who is willing to match our almsgiving up to $25,000.  If we go over, then Father Daniel has a few more projects that will be done in the parish.  He will be speaking after the Masses next weekend (Feb 17 & 18) to show photos and more details.  There will large boxes in the Narthex where you will be able to place your alms throughout Lent.  We will also have a display with how much has been contributed.  

Prayer: Our prayer during Lent will include reading the Gospel of Mark.  There will be a reading guide posted on our website, included in a Flocknote each week of Lent and on Facebook as well as a hardcopy available in the Gathering Space.  The reading guide will give a daily passage along with a reflection question.  We will start this coming week with short passages about praying with the Scriptures and begin reading the Gospel on February 19.  Please join along with us in prayer encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Saint Mark.

We will also be having additional prayer opportunities throughout Lent: additional Masses on Monday through Thursday at 5:15, Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings, a Women at the Well (www.womenatwell.org) event on Sunday, February 18, Bishop Barron's Lenten books and more.  

Fasting: Please consider fasting from something that will deepen your prayer and lead to giving alms.  

Pastoral Council is meeting this week. Our Pastoral Council will be meeting this week.  In addition to discussing the goals for our parish (developing music ministry, starting small groups, and building a culture of welcome and engagement), we will be looking at my vision for the parish in the coming years.  You have been hearing about this in homilies and on this blog in small pieces, and I am working with the Pastoral Council to develop this into a unified vision for the parish.  More will be coming!

Thanks to all who supported our Annual Gala and Auction.  Father Daniel and I had an amazing time at the Gala and Auction, and were delighted by the generous support shown to our parish ministries.  Special thanks to Maria DeJong for chairing the committee and all who spent hours making the event so successful.  Thanks to all our sponsors and contributors.  Thanks to all who attended and supported the Gala and Auction.  Father Daniel already has plans for next year's event with some authentic Ghanaian food.

Called By Name: On the weekend of February 17 & 18 and on March 16 & 17 we would like to invite you to wear your nametag to Mass.  In an effort to reduce the number of throw away name tags, let me encourage you to wear your nice name tag that you have for work or social groups you belong to.  The idea is quite simple: if we have a regular weekend (the third weekend) where folks are invited to wear name tags, then we will both notice and call another person by name in an effort to be community with and for each other.  You are always welcome to pray with one another any time!

All Set for Sunday

The readings for this Sunday can be found here.

During the lockdown of 2020 many nursing homes and religious communities in Italy were hit hard when the first waves of covid hit.  Many older folks, including religious brothers and sisters, died from covid.  As a result as the lockdown spread, many residential communities locked their doors to outsiders.  The family and friends who tried to visit were turned away for fear of bringing the virus into the community.  The intention was to help preserve the lives of the vulnerable residents. 

Without getting too deep into the situation, it offered many of us an experience of the lepers of the first century.  We were unclean and had to keep our distance.  There are remnants of this still in our time when we get a cold or covid.  Jesus was the brave one who dared to go into the communities and touch the leper.  He reminded them, and us, of our common humanity.  Where do we need to bring humanity this week?  Are there relationships or situations where folks have been dehumanized where we can bring God's healing presence?