Posted on September 7, 2023 View all news
The month of September is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. These moments in Our Lady’s life when she felt the most sorrow are: the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the Christ child, the carrying of the Cross, the Crucifixion, the taking of the body of Christ down,the laying of Jesus in the tomb. May we do well to study and reflect on these Seven Sorrows in this month of September!
As I have mentioned previously from Beacons of Light, one of the principles is working on parishioner involvement. I always encourage you to be involved in so far as you can. This is a reminder that we can use an altar boy for our Monday and Saturday English Mass at Old St. Mary. We can also always add to our ranks of servers at the 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass (SH), 11:30 a.m. German Mass (OSM), and 1:00 p.m. Sunday Mass (OSM). Many of these Masses have guests who can use the extra assistance. So please keep this in mind!
To help assist the pastor in decision-making, Canon Law requires that each parish have a Finance Council. The Archdiocese also requires a Parish Council. Our Finance Council is currently served by Bob Dehner, Joe Gubasta, Joe Platt, Steve Reisiger, Ed Rubeo, Bill Schult, Andrew Spoor, and Martin Wilhelmy. Our Parish Council is currently served by Wendell Hull, Jacob Koesters, Mike Peck, Ron Royer, Steve Sullivan, and Eric Wolf. The purpose of these councils is to advise the pastor in decision-making. They are a consultative body, and not a decision-making body. They all bring a wide range of gifts to the table, coming from various professions that bring various experiences. They are each helping to work through the Beacons of Light process and discuss the parish budget and financial review, which will be made available to the parish toward the end of the month. So, certainly keep them in your prayers.
To help us organize ourselves better and ensure we meet each church’s basic needs, I will identify good candidates to help coordinate the various things our churches need. We already do this with tasks like cleaning, polishing, and socials — having a point person in place to organize these needs. I am going to expand this to include things such as maintenance needs, adoration, stewardship, ushers, and parking. If you are approached to help with something, please be generous with your time. The churches do not clean themselves, that is the result of the hard work of those who give their time. Hopefully, having more point people for the parish life areas will help us organize the volunteers more easily.
Again, please continue to be generous with your time and talent. Without everyone pulling together, it would be impossible to get anything done. Have a blessed month ahead, and may the Mother of Sorrows intercede for us!
