Dear Parishioners,
Today return to “Ordinary Time,” as we will celebrate the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The arc to redemption is not without conflict, suffering, division or challenge. Its meaning is premised on mercy overcoming what is incomplete or fractured. This has been borne out throughout history, including in Jesus’ own life, by God’s unending love and mercy, and we
are called to extend it to others.
Next weekend we will celebrate the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time. (It is, of course, Father’s Day, too!) Stories from the past, and faith and hope in the future, help us to live in the present. It has always been this way for God’s people. Like them, “we walk by faith, and not by sight.” Though we cannot see the future, it is enough. We continue to plant our seeds, make our plans, and move forward toward the harvest.
Parish Carnival: Thanks to all who worked so hard on the Parish Carnival. The weather was not the best, to be sure, but those who attended seemed to enjoy themselves! Thanks SO MUCH to ALL who worked SO HARD to make it possible. Mark your 2019 calendars for the Carnival to be held on June 7th and 8th, the weekend of the First Friday in June.
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society: Last week I wrote about our own Saint Vincent de Paul Society. As I said last week, “We are blessed to have a very active Saint Vincent de Paul Society here in our Parish. We are also blessed that so many of you use your extra envelope regularly to assist the Society.”
This coming Tuesday at 11:00 A.M. a new Saint Vincent de Paul Thrift Store will be blessed (it is already open). It is in the “old” Walgreen’s at the corner of Olive and Graesar, 11015 Olive Blvd. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society thrift stores throughout the area are one of the ways the Society helps the poor in our community. These are stores where both our neighbors in need and our parishioners will get a chance to shop together. Fr Jim Cormack, CM, Pastor of St. Catherine Laboure Parish and Spiritual Advisor to the Archdiocesan Saint Vincent de Paul Council will bless the store. The ceremony might take a half hour and there will be a luncheon served following it. On Saturday, June 16, there will be a Customer Appreciation Event, 11:00 A.M.
until 3:00 P.M., with hot dogs, chips, and beverages. All are welcome.
Wednesday Rosary for our School: This will continue throughout the summer. I invite all parents to come and pray for the school, including the students (your children!), the faculty, and the staff. The Rosary is prayed at 7:45 A.M. on Wednesdays. (The Rosary is prayed at 7:40 A.M. the other days of the week.) ALL ARE WELCOME!
Ignatian Married Couples Retreat: With Father’s Day next weekend, how about a special gift to Dad (and Mom!)? A Semi-Silent Retreat Weekend “Running the Paschal Mystery – The Way of Love” will be held the weekend of August 17 – 19, Friday evening to Sunday Lunch at the Toddhall Retreat Center, in Columbia, Illinois. There are many Ignatian retreats at White House, some for men, some for women, but (except for a few special events) none for couples. This is an attempt to get both the husband and wife together for a retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola. Love thrives when it’s cultivated. Every marriage goes through stages of love– romance, disillusionment, misery, reconciliation and generativity. Each has it own challenges and rewards. It is never too early or too late to nourish your marriage. This uplifting weekend will be mixed with talks, prayer, and dialogue with your spouse and practical tips to keep your marriage growing. There will be plenty of time for reflection and enjoying the beautiful grounds of the Toddhall retreat center.
Information and registration is available on the St. Francis Xavier (College Church) website: sfxstl.org/married-couples-retreat Space is limited; register early Questions? (and I’m sure you might have some!) please contact Carl and Laura Greiner ([email protected]).
Parish School and Finances, week three: To continue our discussion, please remember that if we are to be a “Stewardship Parish,” in all areas, we must expect all our parishioners to be involved with their gifts of talents, time, and treasure. Also, as a Catholic Parish, there is a special obligation on ALL the parishioners to provide faith formation for all the parishioners, especially during the formative years of grade school. That’s where the wonderful FORMED.ORG, various Bible Studies, and other adult formation programs come into play. Being a Catholic Parish means that we go and announce the Good News to ALL the people. Being a Stewardship Parish means ALL the parishioners share in the costs associated with faith formation, especially with the education of our young children in our parish school. However, parents who use our parish school, assisting them in their primary role as educators of their children in the ways of faith, should have an additional responsibility and obligation to assist all the parish ministries, including the school, with their donations. We continue to urge that all parishioners prayerfully consider a 5% donation of gross income to the parish … hopefully closer to 8%. It is pretty obvious, given the area in which we live, that many of our families, school and non-school, are not doing that. PLEASE pray that all would “shoulder the costs” as well as the benefits of having a first rate Catholic Parish along with a first rate Catholic School. In addition, as of May 21, school families owe $65,678.28 to the parish for various unpaid fees. That includes $15,560.50 that are over 90 days past due. Those 18 families received a letter from me this past week requesting that they come in and speak with me about their past due bills. Unless there is “some movement” on these bills, including an opportunity to meet with me, the children of these families will not be allowed to begin school in August. Further, if CURRENT school fees are not paid up to date by August 1 (unless those families meet with me), those children will not be allowed to begin school in August. Perhaps some will say that is harsh, but there is no way we can keep on subsidizing the parish school as we have been over the past several years. I look forward to meeting with these families.
May we continue to pray for each other, as we address the issues of very few children currently in our parish and school.
Faithfully yours, Fr Joe Weber