Because our Mass attendance thankfully continues to increase (last week there were 972 people in church), we are currently considering the possibility of celebrating Easter Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass outside on our new Deimel Field. We spoke with our FieldTurf rep and he assured us that lawn chairs would not damage the field. He warned us, however, to avoid any high heels. As you might expect people would be asked to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets to Mass and social distance. If the weather turns bad we will go back into the sanctuary and maybe use The Land (our school’s gym) as an additional streaming site, if need be. The logistics for having Mass outside are considerable and before we commit to doing so we would need a team of volunteers to help us design, set up, stream and take down our outdoor worship space. If you are willing to help us in this endeavor please email or call Kimberly Kaup in the Parish Office at 706-561-8678.

When Fr. Noel was sick in the hospital with Covid last summer a test revealed that he had some other pretty significant healthcare issues which needed to be addressed. This week he did just that and had surgery at Piedmont North in Columbus. I am happy and so very grateful to say that the surgery went very well and that he is doing great! Thanks, in advance, for keeping him in your prayers.

Last week Friar Franck organized an entire day of prayer for our St. Anne-Pacelli middle and high school students before our Lord present in the Eucharist. Instead of going to their Religion classes on Friday, they went to our church for 50 minutes of Eucharistic Adoration. While a few were a little antsy, the vast majority were happy to participate and asked that we do this again. Next time we will stream the whole event and allow the families of our students and parishioners to tune in when they want and pray with our students before our Lord.

The other day a young soldier from Fort Benning came up to me and said, “Father, I can’t believe it! I’ve dropped the ball. I missed Ash Wednesday because after a long day in the field I was too lazy to get ashes. And I am sorry to say that I have reneged on all of my Lenten resolutions. I can’t believe how lazy I’ve been. I’ve never screwed up this much.” It was obvious to me that he was upset with himself. My words to him were simple: “Pick one thing and start anew, just start over. Don’t come up with these huge plans to make up for what you’ve done or failed to do. Just pick one thing and start over.” God appreciates any sacrifice we make, any time we think of Him, anytime we spend a few moments in prayer. God appreciates that you feel so bad for not following through with your resolutions. Don’t throw in the towel, just pick yourself up and dust yourself off and make one simple resolution to finish Lent. When we finished I asked him if I could share our parking lot conversation in the bulletin because I am sure there are others in the same boat. If you are in the same boat as this young man, the same applies to you. Don’t throw in the towel. Don’t despair. Just start over.

Many families have prepared delicious meals for us over the past few months. If you would like to bring the friars dinner on a Tuesday or Thursday, click here to sign-up! We are so grateful! Thank you!

The Diocese of Savannah has designated this week as “Safe Haven Sunday” and Bishop Parkes has asked everyone in the diocese to think, pray and be informed about internet safety. The diocese has provided a resource book to hand out to each family after Mass.

Stewardship of Treasure

Attendance