As summer rushes by

07-28-2019From Fr. Antony's DeskFr. John Barbella

One of the things I enjoy in the summer months is having a seminarian in our parish. Believe it or not, Tim Eck is the tenth to spend a summer with us since I arrived in this wonderful parish. Getting to know these future priests gives me great hope for the future of our Church.

I have heard good things about the Bible Study that our seminarian is conducting on Wednesday evenings. People who spoke to me said they found it informative and helpful. If you haven’t yet attended, it will run on Wednesday evenings in the Parish Meeting Room beneath Mercy Hall (enter through the door by the parking lot and follow the signs) at 7 PM.

Beginning this week, Tim will also be leading the Miraculous Medal Novena in the chapel on Monday evenings at 7 PM. Each evening will include the praying of the novena prayers, a brief reflection by our seminarian, veneration of the relic of St. Catherine Laboure, and the Holy Rosary. I am very grateful that Tim will be doing this and hope many people will join these prayers each Monday.

I always find the novena a good time to pray for those who have asked for my prayers and anyone for whom I want to pray. In this week’s Gospel, our Lord tells us to persistently ask and seek in prayer, assuring us that our Heavenly Father will hear and pour out the Holy Spirit upon us in answer to our prayers.

As the summer rushes by, this is a good time to make sure your children and grandchildren are registered for CCD classes for next year. All parish children who attend public school in grades 1-8 should be enrolled in CCD classes. This will ensure that they are ready to receive First Holy Communion and Confirmation at the proper times as well as helping them learn about Jesus and the Faith He gave us. You can find the proper forms for CCD registration on the parish website, or just call the parish office, and we’ll be happy to help you.

This is also a good time to think about people who might be interested in participating in this year’s RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.) RCIA is the process by which non-Catholics come into the Catholic Church. They may be people who were baptized and raised in other denominations or not baptized at all.

We already have a few people who have expressed interest, and we will be happy to welcome any others who are interested. You can call the parish office with any questions you may have or to sign up. Please also pray that those whom God is leading to our Catholic Faith will say yes to His call.

Finally, I ask you to pray for me each day – at least one Hail Mary! The knowledge that so many of you pray for me is a great comfort to me. I pray for you and our parish daily. Knowing that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers for each other and pours out many blessings in answer to them should be all the motivation we need!

Have a great week!

Fr. John

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