February 12, 2012

Dear Parishioners,

This week I participated in a 3-day “Multiple Parish Ministry Symposium” funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment. It is good to hear from people from all over North America as they share ideas. The theme was especially relevant to our archdiocese’s need to plan better for our parishes’ future. We need to settle on a plan for pastorate-assignments and pastoral care that enhances the mission of Christ, and also is prayerful, humane, efficient, workable, understandable, not overwhelming for priests and parishioners alike. A plan would help priests to live holy and healthy lives, and help parishes to be truly Christ-focused. If we do nothing, we will be in the position we have been in for the last few years: more and more often when a pastorate comes open in a parish, another parish’s pastor will get a very sudden call to be pastor also of that open parish. With that would come a sudden shift in how schedules, services, programs, councils and commissions would operate in both parishes.

Last weekend we distributed, after all the Masses, Cardinal O’Malley’s letter addressing the recent ruling from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; this ruling presents a very serious threat to religious liberty for Catholics and all people of good faith. This weekend, by way of media provided by Cardinal Sean, we hear him provide the homily about the threat of physician-assisted suicide. Go to our parish website for more information. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website is also a good resource.

Thanks for all the baby clothing and supplies collected recently. This drive is a concrete way of acting on our “pro-life” and “anti-abortion” stance. Many young children, and their brave mothers who will have resisted pressure to abort their beautiful infants, will benefit greatly.

Please remember that our priests will go to those who are ill and celebrate with them the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. This sacrament has long been not just for the dying but for all who are facing surgery or are quite ill, even if not in danger of death. Sometimes, too, families wait too long, until someone is actively dying, to contact the priest for anointing that would be better celebrated when the person is more alert. Of course, it can be hard to gauge the seriousness and the timetable. So, never hesitate to contact us at the rectory. Advance planning benefits everyone involved. God bless our sick brothers and sisters, as we celebrate World Day of Prayer for the Sick, on February 11, the annual feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Father George Evans