On July 1, I began my 29th year as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish and most likely my last since I will turn 75 in May and will most likely be retiring. As everyone says, “Where have all those years gone?” It does not seem possible, but it is as real as it can get. These past years have been filled with a variety of growth and grace as well as people and projects. We have grown as a community of Faith. We have grown in grace and service into a vibrant Christian community. In the past few years, I have had to slow down, which has been quite a difficult thing to do. We can only do what we are able to do. I am most grateful that I have been able to continue to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as well as the other sacraments. These being the essence of what it means to be a priest of Jesus Christ.
I could not have done any of this without the help of so many good and faithful people in this parish community, including the priests that have been with the parish over the years as well as the two wonderful deacons who have been such a help and source of support to me and the ministry here at the parish. I am, of course, speaking of Deacon Roger and Deacon Rich. Without these two men of service I could not have accomplished all the wonderful things this parish has done over these many years. I am forever grateful for all the help and support I have received from these good men and so many other people. May God continue to bless this parish family in all that we do for many years to come.
WARM WEATHER! Please remember to be careful of how you and your children dress when coming to Mass in the warm weather. The church is air conditioned, so it is not necessary to dress as if we are going to the beach or a picnic. We should be respectful and reverent when we come to Mass. The clothes we choose to wear make a statement to others and to God about what we are doing as we come to worship Him. It is a special time, and it is the most important activity of our lives. We would gladly dress up for a variety of occasions such as weddings or funerals or to meet an important person. We would not want our host or hostess to think we have no respect for the occasion or for them. So why should we treat our Lord any differently? It cannot hurt anyone to dress up a little when they come to church. Such things as shorts, t-shirts, flip flops all belong at the beach and are not suitable attire to worship God or enter His house. So, please use discretion and good taste as you get ready for Mass each Sunday. We will not have any “fashion police” guarding the doors so just do it for the Lord and you will feel better about yourself as you sacrifice comfort for reverence and respect.
Feast of the Sacred Heart & Parish Picnic: Our celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart was truly beautiful in every way. All the weekend Masses were very prayerful and beautiful. After the 5 PM Mass on Sunday, nearly 300 people attended the Parish Picnic. The food was delicious provided by: the Knights of Columbus, the Altar & Rosary Society, and all those who brought side dishes to share. The weather was very comfortable with no rain. So, all in all it was a very successful event. I am very grateful to all those who provided and prepared all the food, those who planned the picnic, especially Bill Adams and the members of our parish council, and all those who helped to set up and take down all the tables and chairs, especially our maintenance staff Patrick Boyert assisted by Isaac Czaplicki. I am very grateful and glad that it all went so very well. It was a beautiful celebration of our Feast Day. God bless all for such hard work and devoted effort to our parish community.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: We had a very successful Vacation Bible School the week of June 23. There were over 80 children who attended. The children learned about some of the great saints of our Church; they dressed up as who they want to be as a saint. The week concluded with adoration in the church. Thanks to Abby Cook for organizing the week for the children and all the volunteers who helped. God bless all for your hard work and efforts to share our Faith with our children.
