Dear Friends,
This Sunday we celebrate the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Gospel for this Sunday reveals that “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him.” How has God drawn you to faith in Jesus and how have you responded?
If you had been alive when Jesus walked the earth, would you have believed in him? If you had seen him with your own eyes and heard him speak, would you have followed him? Would you have left behind your old ideas about religion and society to put faith in a man who claimed to not only be the Messiah but the Son of God? These questions help us to understand some of the struggles the people of Jesus’ day must have faced when confronted with his preaching. He claimed not only to know God but to be God. For this reason, so many of the people of his day had trouble understanding and believing in him.” (Douglas Sousa, LPI, Connect! Sunday Reflection)
Douglas Sousa's reflection in LPI is a challenge. We like to think that we would be among those who did follow Jesus and believe in him... turning aside from all we had ever been taught and believed in before our encounter with Jesus forever changed us. We like to believe this, but would we actually have been his disciple? One way to answer this question is to ask ourselves: how has my personal encounter with Jesus changed my life? How radically different am I from the person I was before the day when I entered into a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus as my Lord and God? Or have I yet to truly encounter him?
Do you remember our VISION 2020 goals and Mission Advancement Planning (MAP)? You may not but the parish has been working hard on implementing many of them and we've had tremendous success despite the pandemic! Take a look at our REPORT to see what has been achieved since we established our 5 year plan in late 2019!
This week we have a FIRST FRIDAY and a FIRST SATURDAY. I will hear Confessions from 10:00 to 11:30AM followed by a NOON MASS each day. We will have Adoration after the Noon Mass on Friday until Benediction at 7PM in the Adoration Chapel. We will also Bless Salt and Water on First Friday during the Noon Mass. Please join us! (Please bring your own salt to be blessed for your use. Blessed water will be provided to fill your container. Remember, a little goes a LONG way!)
The Parish Directory is now available on-line in a digital format. Please go to https://ollchapin.org/parish-directory for access to the directory. This page is password protected. The password was emailed to all Parishioners who have registered with our Parish Constant Contact email list. DO NOT include a period at the end of the Password! Registered Parishioners may also call the parish office to request the password.
Installation of Flooring and additional Painting is ongoing as part of our Bicentennial Campaign projects. The new flooring in the FLC Hall is being installed this week. See pictures of the new floor being installed HERE.
Please take note that there is no longer parking on the outside ends of the islands in the parking lot. Please park only in areas that are clearly defined by white or blue striping. Please do not park in any handicapped parking space unless you are authorized to do so.
It is never too late to make a donation to the Bicentennial Campaign as we receive 100% of all new donations! visit DONATE NOW!
Some brief, but important news and reminders:
I will be on vacation from 9 to 27 August. Fr. Morey will be covering the Sunday Masses and will offer a Wednesday Daily Mass at Noon. I will still be reachable by phone and email.
Coordinator of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Lectors:
Julie Weston, who has coordinated our EMOHC and Lectors for the past three years is stepping down as coordinator. While Julie has loved every moment of the past 3 years serving the parish in this capacity she has discerned it is time to turn it over to someone else and give another parishioner the opportunity to step into this role. We are grateful for Julie's generous leadership.
Julie has offered to help train someone so that they can take over the ministry in the fall with the new school year. If you are discerning taking on a leadership role in the parish and are interested in coordinating our EMOHC and Lectors please contact Fr. Dennis by email at pastor@ollchapin.org.
The Regular Sunday 10:30 Hospitality Hour will return in September.
Our Summer Mass Schedule: There will be NO 5PM Sunday Mass until 12 September 2021 (Sunday after Labor Day).
Peace and all good,
Fr. Dennis
