A Message from the Pastor…………………….
ST. MONICA PARISH 150 TH ANNIVERSARY is just a week away now. Next Saturday, August 27 is the Feast of St. Monica. Archbishop Robert Carlson will be here, and first will consecrate our new cemetery section, then be the main celebrant for our 5:00 P.M. Mass. It was natural for the committee to reach out to the top level of the Archdiocese, because It’s the diocese, of course, that founded the parish in 1872, And has staffed it with priests and sisters ever since. It’s the diocese that made this parish the home church for residents in the area. Archbishop Rozanski was scheduled to start the anniversary year with us, but his schedule changed.
Archbishop Carlson knows the parish very well, has been here numerous times, and was very gracious to give us a bishop’s presence to start with. We hope to have parishioners on the parking lot in a kind of parade route at 4:45 from Olive back to the cemetery (along Olive is just too dangerous) as the Archbishop is escorted in. Archbishop Rozanski is set to celebrate the end of the year with us next August.
Meanwhile, the rather ordinary things of the parish proceed. I met with the school faculty a long time Monday morning; we had a Worship Committee meeting that night. The School Board met, and the Parish Council. Starting everything up again after the summer is always a bit of a strain.
My time with the faculty as great. We have a group of new teachers, blended with the rest who go back years. Like the New Families gathering last week, you could sense a great spirit and a relaxed spirit of cooperation. The school year begins the day after I write this, so I’ll comment next week.
Hope to see you Saturday on the parking lot!
Fr. Sebastian