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Dear Parishioners,
As we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas, we look ahead with faith, hope and love for God and each other. We also count our blessings and ready ourselves for every challenge that might come our way.
On the bright side, our parish is alive and well! Babies are being baptized. Confessions are being heard. Weddings and funerals are being celebrated. Our young disciples are preparing for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation. The weekday and Sunday Masses gather families and individuals from the whole area.
Our service organizations — Food Baskets at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter — bring hope to those in need. The Knights of Columbus, the Holy Name Society, School and RE families give generously to many of the appeals presented to them. In all of this, people are coming together in prayer, fellowship and service. And more and more friends and fellow parishioners are coming to church despite ongoing concerns about COVID-19 and other viruses. Our attendance has increased by 65 people a weekend in comparison to last year.
I am excited that in the New Year we will be working closely with the Archdiocese in laying the Foundations for reaching out to parishioners and “seekers.” A core group of parishioners and staff have been meeting to cast the vision rooted in prayer that will lead to renewal and vitality. Please let me know if you would be interested in this adventure!
Also, in the coming months, we will be reaching out to parishioners to hopefully raise additional funds to offset the costs associated with the deferred maintenance projects and the remodeling done in the gym’s kitchen and the school hall and its kitchen. This is a followup from the summer appeal which already raised approximately $60,000 towards our $250,000.00 goal.
This has been a blessed year! Despite inflation, people continue to make sacrifices to financially support the parish. I know that people are worried about the future, but if we all do our part, things will work out. If we stand back, things will only get worse. The future of our beloved parish depends entirely on parishioners like you and me. It is all up to us.
At Christmas, we celebrate when the Prince of Peace was born. Amid so many seemingly hopeless situations, God’s spirit of peace is bursting onto the scene through the hands, hearts and hard work of ordinary people who have allowed themselves to become instruments of God’s grace.
When I reflect on the ministries and prayer life of St. Patricia Parish, it leaves me more convinced than ever that we cannot underestimate the power of this local church to build up our young people in the ways of faith and support those who struggle.
If we want a more peaceful world, a more just society and a more compassionate culture, the best way we can accomplish this is by building up faith communities like St. Patricia so that it becomes the conduit of God’s creative and life-giving spirit in our world today.
Thank you for your past support!
Merry Christmas
Fr. Mike Meany
Pastor
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