A Note from Fr. Pisut
Friday, November 27, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
I trust everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are now prepared to enter into the joyful anticipation that marks the Advent Season. This is indeed a wonderful time of year. Yet as we all know, due to COVID restrictions we won’t quite be celebrating as extensively this year. This will affect not just our home lives but at the parish as well. There are some parts of the rhythm of this year that we will have to forgo: Communal Penance, Our Lady of Guadalupe taco breakfast, St. Nicholas visits, The Des Moines Vocal Arts Christmas program frequently held here, the RE Christmas program, the School Christmas program, our Christmas staff luncheon and my Christmas Open House at the rectory. By not being able to have these celebrations this year it serves to make us appreciate what they mean to our community. This year we can hold fondly to those memories of these events from past years and look forward, God willing, to returning to these celebrations as part of our Advent rhythm for next year.
Also, this Monday November 30th is the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. He was the brother of St. Peter and was among the first called to follow Jesus. Legend has it that St. Andrew was crucified on an X shaped cross, popularly known as St. Andrew’s Cross. In fact, this is the name given to the banding that adorns our vestments. St. Andrew is the patron saint of, among other things, fisherman and of Greece, Russia and Scotland. As the patron saint of Scotland, he is particularly dear to our own Fr. Livingstone, who is of Scottish descent himself. Even though Fr. Jim has stepped back from official responsibilities here, as Senior Priest in residence he is still present to serve the people of St. Augustin as he desires and is able to do so. We thank Fr. Jim for his service and his continued presence to the parishioners of St. Augustin. Happy Feast of St. Andrew Fr. Jim!
Fr. Pisut
