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There is a whole lot going on in our little slice of heaven east of Kankakee this weekend. Because of the good work of Kim Emerson (St. Anne's) and John Rehmer (St. Patrick's), we will be celebrating our Confirmation Mass at St. Anne's on April 30th at 2:00 p.m. and our First Communion Masses at St. Anne's (9:00 a.m.) and at St. Patrick's (10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon). A whole bunch of catechists and other volunteers have been ministering to the young souls at our parish and this weekend, all that "planting" will produce a wonderful crop of Spirit-filled souls at the parishes we serve! Please pray for all of our students in the religious education program.
As part of our yearly report to the diocese, our parishes have been given a "Statistic Sheet" concerning information about the parishes in our area. The diocesan personnel look closely at what happens in each parish to determine where we are in our parish life and the well dones / opportunities for improvement that need to be addressed at our parishes.
Notice that both parishes seem to be doing really well in the perspective of the diocese. As Taylor Marshall once said, "If a parish is not crying, it's dying," meaning that the sound of children in church is essential to our growth. Notice the increase of weddings and baptisms at both parishes and what the diocese perceives as the "surplus" that each parish has accomplished during the years plagued by COVID and the other challenges within our faith. We have a ways to go - we have many projects to undertake, both spiritually and otherwise. That said, the diocesan leaders seem to think we are moving in the right direction, considering what is happening throughout the diocese, country and world with the closing of parishes, reduction of church attendance and scandals that have rocked the Church! We are doing really well!
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