Pastor Notes March 5, 2023
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We welcome Fr. Pascal this weekend, missionary priest for Cross Catholic Outreach. Their mission statement serves as an invitation to partner with their outreach, especially within our Lenten efforts of faith. “Cross Catholic Outreach is a ministry that serves the poorest of the poor internationally by channeling aid through dioceses, parishes, and Catholic missionaries, cost-effectively helping the poor break the cycle of poverty while advancing Catholic evangelization. Physical change is not complete without sharing the Gospel. In order to break the cycle of poverty, we must first start with the heart. We must share the hope and good news of the Gospel alongside our social work in order to see the Holy Spirit's transformative power. Neither side of our ministry is complete without the other.”
Fr. Pascal’s message and his presence in our parishes this weekend is a blessing for our faith community, and an invitation into God’s grace working within the lives of those we will never meet. We welcome Fr. Pascal.
As I announced last weekend, we are asked by the Diocese to follow the mandate of one Vigil Mass (Saturday evening) per priest as established by a committee and approved by Bishop Nickless. Their primary focus with this stipulation is the wellbeing of the priests who are still serving parishes in our diocese, (taking into consideration the coverage of funerals and weddings on Saturdays). I was asked to seek permission for an exemption, of which I did through a letter stipulating the various reasons why two Vigil Masses in our county would be beneficial to parishioners and visitors alike. Receiving a kind reply in return, my request was denied, but the door was left open for the possibility of three Masses on Sunday. Of course, such would mean a Sunday evening Mass as ‘travel time’ would preclude all three in the morning. Though two Vigil Masses would compliment our Catholic Community in Boone County, I understand the reasoning and long term efforts of the committee to safeguard the priests in our diocese. Because we have a missionary this weekend, our last scheduled Vigil Mass at St. Malachy will be March 11th. However, we will continue to be a thriving, welcoming parish community, sharing in the Eucharist, the prayers, and activities within each church. Thank you for your understanding. All parishioners will receive through the mail, the Parish Faith & Financial Annual Report for the calendar year 2022. Included is a general overview of our income and expenditures, alongside the Sacramental life of our Catholic Community in Boone County. As indicated on the annual report, we were separate parishes last year; and going forward are one, Ascension Parish
As evidenced by the report, many parishioners have shared generously to support our ongoing Catholic mission. Noting the root word “mission” is being “sent,” Archbishop Niendstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul emphasized the Christian mission is to “continue the works of Jesus Christ”(preaching, teaching, healing, and acts of charity and justice). And to make his name “known and loved.” With lingering effects of COVID and the ensuing restrictions, and now the changes confronting all parishes through the diocesan pastoral planning, the challenges to our faith community have created sacrifices, but through it all our parish and parishioners, (and visitors who feel welcome and desire to share in the Eucharist with us) our Catholic faith has remained resilient and hopeful. If you have any questions or concerns with the information presented in the annual report please ask. Thank you for your faith and presence shared within our churches, your generosity, your time and abilities offered within our ministries and activities—and your Christian hope carried forth into our communities and beyond.
I pulled together some Lenten thoughts contributed by college students attending a Catholic Newman Center Church. Most were anonymous including this one, selected by several of my eighth graders as thought provoking.
“Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” (Matthew 1:16) “When reading this I am I struck by Mary’s faith as she simply said yes to God, knowing that she could be divorced or even stoned to death.. She did not rush to look at her calendar or to plan things out to make sure that everything would be okay for her. She simply had faith. . . .Although I believe that God is real, I lack faith in Him and what He is willing to do for me. I am someone who can plan more than five four-year plans in minutes, trying to get the best version of what my life would look like and making sure that everything is a safezone for me to thrive. However, my plans often. . .well, don’t go according to plan, no matter how hard I try to force it. This Lent I am learning to let go of my plans and to have the courage to follow God’s.”(Anonymous)
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
