Greetings Faithful Parishioners in Christ,
As I mentioned before, I have a busy October. I will be on vacation pheasant hunting in the Eden area Friday afternoon October 15 to Thursday evening October 21. Fr. Ken Lulf requested to pulpit switch with me so he will be here the weekend of October 16-17. I will have my annual priest retreat at Broom Tree October 25 - 28. I usually do this in June to decrease my time away in October, but I was too busy with the process of moving. I can be available on an emergency basis by you contacting Beverly Thomas while I am away.
Clergy Days went very well this year. I received a papal blessing recognition for my 25th priesthood ordination anniversary. Thank you for any praying you did for me this past Wednesday. My homily went very well as I received many complements. Bishop DeGrood made a side comment to me about how impressed he is with the unity we have among our diocese’s priests and deacons. Retired Archbishop Robert Carlson made a similar observation about 20 years ago. It got their attention because this much clergy unity is not the norm. One thing most of them do, is sit towards the back of the chapel!
We will be having Eucharistic Holy Hours with adoration and benediction on a periodic basisin both parishes. I will provide teachings and trainings for all ages in preparation. Last Sunday bulletin column, I talked about first starting with the last third and fourth Mondays of the month when I am available starting at Sacred Heart Church in November. Not only do our parishes need this, we also need to prepare for when the U.S. bishops implement their initiative throughout the United States. One of the main reasons for this is that about 30% of U.S. Catholics believe Jesus is really present in the Eucharist. This percentage has been dropping over many years. This strikes at the heart of our Catholic Faith.
THE LAUNCHING OF FORMED.ORG We launched Formed.org as an online resource that offers the very best Catholic content from more than 60 organizationsto help parishes, families and individuals of all ages to explore their faith anywhere. Supporting thousands of movies, children’s programs, ebooks, audio, parish programs and studies direct to your browser, mobile or connected device (laptops, tablets, smart TV's, etc.). Check it out now by going to Formed.org, select “sign up,” select sign up as a parishioner,” find our parish by typing “57442” or use either parish name (our parish names had to be combined so that we could save money by having just one account), create a new account and start roaming around!
