Dear Family,
We happily welcome Father Tom Boyer to our par¬ish this week to walk with us on a short parish mission.
Last week Fr. Tom sent us a summary of the shape of the mission. You’ll recall he posed three questions that Matthew’s gospel asks about Jesus:
- Who is Jesus of Nazareth?
- What did he have to say?
- What does he do?
The first talk is on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.
The second and third talks will be on Monday and Tuesday.
The same talk will be offered after 8:30 a.m. Mass (with coffee) in McDonnell Hall
OR 7:00 p.m. in the Main Sanctuary.
It will be refreshing for me to hear someone else at the microphone.
Today’s gospel about the Transfiguration always makes me think about the reaction of the disciples. Peter, James and John, the special friends of Jesus, go up the mountain with him and have the experience of seeing Jesus appear in white shining garments standing with Moses and Elijah. Peter says, “It is good for us to be here.” I always felt I would be pretty blown away at this point. But it is not until the Father’s voice is heard, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him,” that the apostles are terrified and fall flat on the ground.
Then comes the second quote I love: “Do not be afraid.” The apostles look up and only Jesus is there.
It’s good for me to be here and no matter what happens, including the inevitable unexpected, I won’t be afraid. Easier to say than do sometimes...
Gear Shift
I bring you tidings of great joy!!!! Unto us is born a kitchen.
The contracts have been approved. I’m very happy that the contractor, Alex Rodriguez, has been awarded the job. He built the shrine for the Blessed Mother mosaic, Our Lady of the Sea. We’ll work to start as soon as possible.
As far as I can see, with a little care and planning, we should be able to use the parish hall without interruption.
It has been a long time coming and I am sure that we will finally be able to say that it was worth waiting for. I know ‘back when’ there were a few “What do we need a kitchen for?” questions, but I am convinced that we will discover why as time goes on. Recall the Kevin Costner’s line from the movie, “Field of Dreams,” “If you build it, they will come.” Instead of ‘Fetscher’s Folly’ may it always be known as ‘Sebastian’s Surprise.’
David Prada is the supervisor of construction for the Archdiocese. He and his wife Liz have been good friends going back to my St. Louis parish days. He has been recently hospitalized with a serious illness but is on the road to recovery. We will keep him in our prayers. He has shared the ‘dream’ with me for a while.
Please remember that we have Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings at 6:00 p.m. followed by Simple Supper. We have gathered a nice variety of the Stations over the years and we rotate them. It’s a prayerful journey to make during Lent. Let it always be,
In Jesus,
ABCD Just $24,397 to go! We’re close! Good Work!
