To My Spiritual Family of Holy Redeemer and St. Anthony, On a Mission from God: The purpose of our parish – the reason Holy Redeemer exists - is to see lives turned upside down through an encounter with the redeeming love of Jesus Christ. The Lord asks (actually, he commands) you and I to participate in this work. Jesus greatly desires that we ignite the fire of his love in our own spheres of influence through our prayer, our words, and our good deeds. This is our mission from God! What a joy to know that our lives have such clear purpose and meaning! We live in a culture that no longer has Christ at its center. Yet our Church and our parishes tend to remain in a “maintenance” mode of existence. In other words, we spend tremendous amounts of energy trying to maintain what has been: buildings, programs, and ways of teaching the faith. Yet it is painfully clear that we need to transform our way of thinking and acting from “maintenance” to “mission,” intentionally seeking to evangelize and make new disciples, teaching and preaching with the assumption that many do not have a foundational relationship with Christ, and admitting to ourselves that many of the things that “we’ve always done this way” are simply not working. Are you excited about this mission or does it make you all uncomfortable and queasy? Either way, you and I have to press forward. Jesus, we trust in you!
The Good and the Beautiful: God is good! All the time! Here is some of the good he is working . . . in the parish this year, we have recorded a double-digit number of baptisms for the first time since 2018. And there are still four months to go in 2023 . . . the closing Mass for World Youth Day in Portugal this month saw some 1.5 million attendees. And that despite blistering sun and heat . . . the weekly soup kitchen ministry which is operated out of St. Joseph, and supported by parishioners from St. Joe and Holy Redeemer, continues to feed large numbers of hungry folks each week. What a blessing that the Church is there to provide food and companionship . . . a pair of nesting bald eagles can sometimes be seen flying over our St. Anthony church. Watching them soar never gets old . . . Faith Magazine will soon be running a feature story on our own Faith Formation Director, Jennifer Wortman. The story will specifically detail Jenn’s mission immersion in Uvalde, Texas, and her experience with the families there. I cannot wait to read that issue . . . and finally, our landscaping at both St. Anthony and Holy Redeemer has once again given us a summer of bright colors, blooming flowers, and gorgeous foliage. Beauty is a sign of God’s presence!
Vacay: I leave for my brother’s place this Sunday to spend some vacation time in Bradford. I love being a priest (seriously, I have the greatest job in the world) and I love doing the work of the kingdom here in this parish with you. Nonetheless, I admit that I am pretty worn out right now. It’s been six months since I’ve had a full week off, so I’m looking forward to the rest and the time with my bro. Be assured, though, that you will be remembered in my daily Masses and in my prayer. Also, I am grateful that Deacon Ray will be making the First Friday calls and that he will be leading First Friday adoration. God bless you all and have a wonderful week!
Mary, Mother of the Redeemer – Pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us! St. Anthony – Pray for us! St. Joseph – Pray for us!