Dear Family,
Before I forget, at the doors of the Church today there is a sign-up sheet for helping at the Fall Festival (nee The Oktoberfest). The worker bees decided that after ten years our steins were getting a little cracked, so they shifted themes. It seems like a great idea and saves us the challenge of traveling north to cooler climes to see color. Of course cool right now seems very inviting.
There is also some word that because there hasn’t been much rain in various parts of the north, the leaves might not even bother turning colors, but just say to themselves, “The heck with it” and drop off. But whatever turns or doesn’t turn, nevertheless we will celebrate Fall with all the color we want. Isn’t Michael’s great?
SOOOOOO, this means that we need your help as I mentioned in the beginning. The committee has some very specific jobs with specific times to make it easier for you to gauge both your time and your talents accordingly. If you don’t see this Twitch until you get home, please give (who else?) Annie a call at the parish office and tell her with what you can help.
We need decorators, light hangers in tents, food preparers, cooks, food servers, bartenders, ticket takers, and maybe most importantly cleaner-uppers Friday night after the event.
It will be nice to have some funds raised through the event, but for me personally I look forward to the social dimension of bringing us all together at the first event of our 16-17 “season.”
If you haven’t been a part of doing something like this for a while, take a chance. Many hands make light work, and I know that many of you like me are somewhat limited in energy resources. But you’re never going to find finer company with which to be tired!!!!
In last week’s Twitch I forgot to tell you that in this last week - the 20th to the 22nd – the priests of the Archdiocese had their annual Convocation. I wanted to ask for your prayers, but I have decided that maybe God will let this work retroactively. So right now, say a prayer for all of us, especially that the convocation went well.
I was elected to a three-year term on the Presbyteral Council. That’s a group of priests who work with the Archbishop giving him support and advice. I was serving on the Council and my term ended and I was relieved. Then the election returns came in (the proper season for that I guess) and there I was, elected. There are various categories and mine is representing my age group.
They published the results before they asked if I would serve. Sort of sneaky. So maybe that means I have to hang around for another three years.
I make jokes about things like this, but something I would like to be very serious about is vocations, especially to the priesthood. We have our Vocation Cup every week and there is always someone from each Mass praying during the week. (By the way you can sign up for a week by calling the office, Annie again!) The Vocation cup is only the beginning.
Last week in the homily I think I mentioned that prayer isn’t supposed to change God’s will but rather change our response to that Will. I believe that God wants us to have priests, good priests. BUT, - and this is just the theology of prayer according to Fetscher - I ask myself why would God help if we don’t bother to ask? Just a thought.
I hope you are spending some time praying for our country as we prepare to elect a president. I don’t remember ever seeing the kinds of attitudes and verbage that has emerged. Maybe my memory is bad. For sure my (our) prayers are needed.
In Jesus,
