To My Spiritual Family of Holy Redeemer and St. Anthony,
Kentucky Mission Trip: For many years, Fr. Michael DeMartinis (currently the pastor of St. Patrick in Erie) has led youth on life-changing summer mission trips to the Appalachian region of Kentucky. This year, three of our area youth are joining him. Please keep these teens in your prayers as they serve and learn among the poor of Appalachia.
A Plea for Funeral Masses: It is increasingly common – and always a cause for sadness - that deceased Catholics, having spent their entire life faithfully attending Mass, are not given a funeral Mass by their children and grandchildren when they die. Please, give your parents and grandparents this beautiful gift. Not only does the funeral Mass allow families to gather for a final and solemn farewell, but more importantly, we offer the Mass and our prayers for the salvation of the departed soul. Burying the dead is a corporal work of mercy. Praying for the souls of the faithful departed is a privilege and a solemn responsibility. If family finances are tight, I understand. Please be assured that you do not have to offer me any sort of stipend. I want to see your deceased loved one freed from purgatory and enjoying the bliss of heaven.
Prayer. Every Day: We want to be a parish that prays, loves, and serves the poor. How are you doing with your personal prayer? Daily prayer is absolutely essential. Prayer is the lifeblood of Christian existence. If we are not in the habit of daily prayer, we want to make every effort to engender that habit. Yes, it takes discipline. Yes, it requires commitment. But prayer – time spent with the one we love, God – is sweet. Prayer strengthens us for the battle against evil. Prayer opens a door through which God can enter in and form our hearts with his love. The saints, in a particular way, encourage us to pray before our Lord in the tabernacle. Whenever and however you do it . . . please pray every day!
Holy Redeemer Baptismal Font: You may recall that the Pastoral Council chose the replacement of the Holy Redeemer church baptismal font to be our project for the current Catholic Services Appeal. Albeit slowly, we are moving ahead with the project. In fact, at the most recent Pastoral Council meeting, a number of designs were submitted for consideration. This will not be an inexpensive redo, but it will be a project that is well within our budget. You have made available – through your incredible generosity to the CSA – some $75,000. A really handsome font (the top choice at this point), one that is smaller and more self-contained than our broken one, will run us $25,000 - $40,000 for design and installation. That’s a lot of money for sure, but the font under consideration will provide a rich, sacramental symbol as people enter the church, and it will not require below-the-floor piping. That should help ensure that it will last for decades and decades. I think we can also have it constructed in a manner that matches the font exterior with our beautiful stone wall in the sanctuary. Stay tuned!
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!