Eternal Rest...
I'm sure most of you have heard that our Parish suffered the tragic loss of one of our young parishioners last week. Ryan Lee (19 years old) was hit by a cab near Long Island University where he attended as a Sophomore. Ryan and his family have attended St. Paul for many years and Ryan's Mom teaches religious education here. As always seems to happen in Berlin, the community has really come together to try and support Ryan's family and his friends. There was a candlelight vigil at his house, Fr. Michael visited with Ryan's family and friends several times and here at St. Paul we have decided to have Ryan's wake in Church.
Because having a wake in our Church is not our usual practice, some of our parishioners have come forward to ask for an explanation and here it is. We made this exception because in this circumstance I felt it was the right thing to do. There was concern that the funeral home would not be able to accommodate those who wanted to attend the wake. The friars felt that having the wake here at St. Paul would enable us to be especially close to the many young people who attend. The family felt they would be more comfortable in our Church. With a generous spirit, which is always so present at St. Paul, some of our parishioners even offered to make refreshments and help set up the Church Hall as a gathering area after the mourners had greeted Ryan's family. We will continue to be present to all involved in this tragic accident. Let us all be sure to pray for the repose of Ryan's soul and the consolation of his family and friends.
Wow
I received a call from the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Office that we have reached 97% of our goal. This is wonderful news and I am most appreciative of your generous support of this very important initiative. I am sure you will agree that the video we watched in Church made the scope and importance of the Archbishop's Appeal crystal clear. As I have stated repeatedly, several members of our Parish have benefited from the Appeal's Emergency Assistance Program, and we have submitted the names of three local worthy causes in the hope that they, too, will be funded. The Archdiocese will be sending us one more insert for the Bulletin in a couple weeks in the event someone missed making their pledge. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for your generous support.
Youth Minister Search
Fr. Michael and I have begun working up a job description and recruitment plan for a full time youth minister. If you have ideas you would like to share in this regard, please feel free to email us. We are going to do this search carefully and methodically. I want you all to know that we are not going to rush to hire, but make sure we find the best possible candidate. Please keep this important initiative in your prayers.
The Principal Search
As you know, the search committee made up of some very qualified members of our parish / school community have been meeting regularly and have already interviewed several very qualified candidates. We promise to find the best possible candidate for this very important community. Right now, as I sit at my desk, the lunch bell just rang and these kids are all outside in the playground and parking lot enjoying some time together outside of the classroom. The sound of their voices brings a smile to my face. All of the young people in our parish are worth every sacrifice.
Through the sake of his sorrowful passion....
Last week people, after every single Mass, took the time to seek me out and tell me how moved they were by the communion song. At first I didn't know what they were talking about. Then I found out that Jeff Batter, our Director of Music and Liturgy, and the music groups were singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet during communion at each Mass. I mention this because I also want to recognize the efforts of our musicians. I have been very impressed and grateful for their efforts. I also mention this because I hope that all of us here at St. Paul will make it a habit of recognizing the good work of others and emphasizing the good that happens everyday here at St. Paul. We all strive to build rather than tear down, offer praise and support rather than complain.
The Tag Sale
Thanks to the great efforts of Pat and Ray Kalentkowski and their team, our Tag Sale was a great success. It raised over $1000 for our school's technology fund. In the near future we hope to finish a complete study of our school's technology needs and seek ways to make any necessary upgrades. The technology in our school will benefit all of the children in our parish, those who attend St. Paul School and those who attend our Religious Education Programs. I extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who worked on the tag sale. By the way, all weekend I was hoping that the “holy nun chairs,” which used to be in the bedrooms of our convent, would be sold. We really had no place to store them. Alas, every time I checked, they were still there. Finally I told everyone at the 12:00 PM Mass about the “Holy Nun Chairs” and they went like hot cakes... If you bought one of those chairs, please remember to pray for the good holy women who educated many youth of our parish and blessed us all with their holy lives...
Enough already I fear I've written too much this week.... Yikes!
MOTHER’S DAY
Mothers are instruments of Christ’s presence in the home. A mother’s love reveals the attentive, thoughtful, serving, forgiving and concerned side of God’s love. Thank you to all mothers for showing us the tender loving face of God.