Two Beautiful Professions of Faith
This week two fine young men from our 7th grade stood up in front of almost the entire middle school and made a Profession of Faith. In processing their request for Confirmation it became clear to us that they never officially became Catholic. After speaking with them they agreed to make a public Profession of our Catholic Faith in front of all their friends and sign the Profession of Faith Book which we placed on the altar. It was moving for them and moving for everyone present. It was especially important because it caused many of our lifelong Catholics to reflect on the gift of their faith, too. This is just one more example of how important Catholic schools are to the life of the Church. It was, indeed, a great day to be a Viking!
Yikes! Record Crowds Expected
This year we planned a Deanery Confirmation Ceremony to be celebrated here at St. Anne on May 16th. It all looked great until the number of young adults to be confirmed swelled to 120. That's 480 people, parents, confirmandi and sponsors. Our Church seats 700. Obviously, now we have concerns that they all won't fit into our church. There will be overflow space in Visitation Hall for those who don't fit and the entire Confirmation program will be simulcast in the overflow space. We know it's not ideal, but it is the best we can do this year. Bishop Hartmayer has expressed his willingness to go to each of the parishes in Columbus individually for Confirmation next year. I guess we'll all have to take a deep breath and do the best we can this year.
First Communion Finished for the Year
They're over and they were beautiful for sure. So many people expressed their happiness with returning First Communions to our Sunday liturgies. Our last group this year was just beautiful. If your child made their First Communion, photos will be posted online so that you may download them and share them with whomever you wish. Once again, a special thank you to all who helped bring our beautiful little ones to this important milestone in their lives, especially Suzanne Zimmermann and all of our generous Catechists.
Bishop Hartmayer's Mom
Please remember in your prayers Sally Hartmayer, Bishop Hartmayer's mom, who passed away last week. Many years ago I attended a conference for friars and priests. The psychologist spoke about the many stressors or stressful situations in a priest's or friar's life. To my surprise at the time, he told us that one of the top most challenging moments in the life of a priest or friar is the death of a parent, especially the last parent. Of course, transfers are stressful, and human resource problems in a parish are stressful, and ministry financial matters are stressful, but the death of the last parent is especially stressful for a celibate man because, no matter how loving his relationship is with his siblings and their spouses, his relationship with his family is fundamentally changed when his last parent dies. Several years later everything the presenter told us was proven true to me when my mom passed away. Please keep Bishop Hartmayer's mom in your prayers and please continue to pray for him and his entire family. A little card would also be a nice gesture, but please don't expect a response as I'm sure he will be overwhelmed with condolences from all over the diocese. Priests and bishops are people, too, and we find great solace when the people we serve express their love and concern for us.
Georgia Power
Last week I met with representatives from Georgia Power and an energy audit company. I'm convinced we have to do everything we can to reduce our monthly contributions to Georgia Power and happily the company is willing to help us do just that. Energy conservation is very Franciscan, it helps the environment and, at the same time, enables us to redirect important parish resources to other worthy causes. I'll keep you posted as this unfolds.
When It Rains it Pours
Last Sunday I noticed that one of our gutters near the covered drop-off area leaks on everyone as they are getting out of their cars. If anyone knows how to fix that gutter, please let me know. It doesn't make sense to have a covered drop-off area if the water pours out on the people who are getting dropped off.
Our Catholic Presence at Columbus State
WOW, what a difference a year can make! For a while our Catholic presence at Columbus State was limping. It just didn't seem possible to gather everyone together and have effective meetings. This year, over the last several months, our Catholic students' group has grown. Fr. Manny has been going over on Tuesdays for lunch. I go when he can't. Even the university's Student Life Office has noticed the increase in participation. Laura McKenna, our student leader, was recognized for her good work with an "Emerging Leader Award." With all of my years in Campus Ministry, I'm so very pleased and grateful for everyone who is making our Catholic presence at CSU more vibrant and visible. Thank you.
School's Spring Event
Every year St. Anne-Pacelli's Home & School Association has a Spring Event to benefit our beautiful school. Obviously, this is the first year I was able to go. I was so happy to see how well the event was attended and organized. I'm told this was the first year people could place bids for silent auction items online. I am sure that this had a positive effect on how much the Home & School Association is able to contribute to our school. I was also happy to see that the Knights of Columbus and the Ladies Auxiliary were present to help with the drinks and the food. This is just another example of how committed our parish is and must always be to St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School. It is and always will be a core mission of our parish. By the way, did you know that a couple of months ago the floor and seating were upgraded in our High School Auditorium/Cafeteria? The upgrades were accomplished thanks to funds raised at the past two Spring Events hosted by the Home & School Association. It looks great!
