First Communion Saturdays - Priceless
Well our First Communions are over (all 120 of them.) I want to thank everyone who helped prepare our children for their First Communion.I have to admit that First Communion Saturdays are one of my favorite times of the year. When you give a child their First Communion, the simple sincerity of their faith shines through. At one time all of us had that same simple authentic innocent faith. Rest assured this type of faith can be ours again for the asking. You know, it is easy to go through the motions when we come up for communion. Sometimes it is obvious to the priest or Eucharistic Minister that the person receiving is kind of on autopilot and not really aware of the importance of what they are doing or who they are receiving. Some people who receive the Eucharist are so distracted that they don’t even respond with “ Amen.” There are also people who come forward to receive our Lord with beautiful understanding and reverence for our Lord written all over their face. The next time you are waiting in line to receive Holy Communion, why not pray this simple prayer “Lord please give me a simple authentic childlike faith.” I assure you He will.
Parish Garden / Clean up day
We are hoping to have our first Parish Clean Up and Garden Day on Saturday, May 26th, starting at 8:30, for those who are up that early. We will have several gardens to plant and areas to clean up. I have to admit, our plans are a little ambitious this year. An email will go out to all who volunteered to help with this project and there is a flyer in the bulletin this week. So we can plan accordingly, please email us at ourchurch@stpaulkensington.org or call the Parish Office 860-828-0331 if you are able to attend and help out.
Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of Berlin
Last week we submitted to the town a Memo of Understanding regarding our plans to expand our parking lot. Mr. Janik met with the Town Planner and several of us met with the Mayor. We wanted to communicate with the Town and give them an idea of how we are planning to answer our parking needs. Communication is essential in good relationships. Both Mr. Salina and Ms. Hellyn Riggins assured us that our ideas for expanding our parking lot were right on track and that they did not see any problems.Of course, formal approval of our plans can only take place after we present them with our finished drawings.
Weddings Weddings Weddings
We have lots of weddings this year, double the number we had last year. Helping couples understand what marriage is and preparing them for a lifetime together is very important. The priests try to meet with each couple at least three or four times. The couples also attend Pre-Cana retreats sponsored by the Archdiocese. Some of our own parishioners are on the engaged couples retreat teams. This is a very important ministry to engaged couples. I have yet to have anyone getting married at St. Paul Church come back and say that the retreat was not worth the time or effort. We all know that it is not easy to stay married these days. Our society almost seems to mitigate against marriage. Please keep our engaged couples in your prayers.
Registration Night
As you can see from the picture in this week’s bulletin, this month 5 families joined our parish. We are so blessed to have them. If you recognize someone in the picture at Mass, please be sure to go up to them and welcome them to St. Paul’s Church. If you really want to step up, introduce yourself to the people sitting around you before Mass starts. Even though Berlin is a small town, I am amazed at how many people don’t know each other.
Grandparents’ Day
Monday was Grandparent’s day at St. Paul School. I don’t know who was smiling more, the Grandparents or their Grandchildren. The warm loving atmosphere our teachers and administration have been able to create in our school is contagious. The grandparents were especially impressed with our school test scores. (More about that at a future date.)When I left, the little kids were singing “I love you Grandma, I love you Grandpa” to the tune of “You Are My Sunshine.” A beautiful day was had by all.
The Prayer Shawl Ladies (Ministry)
The Prayer Shawl Ladies have finished up their ministry year and will regroup in September. They have a beautiful group of women who really enjoy each others company. So many people have enjoyed the benefit of their good work and their loving prayers. Next fall, why not consider joining the Prayer Shawl Ministry? Give it a thought over the Summer.
St. Paul Church is Pro-Life
Our new Parish Pro-life Ministry met again last week and began discussion on possible fall events. I am so pleased that this group has formed and is planning for the future. I believe that our defense of life is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our culture. It boggles the mind when you think that we have laws which permit the taking of the most vulnerable, innocent, human life. Our pro-life conviction not only goes beyond our fight against abortion, but touches many aspects of our culture, a culture some would call the culture of death. Keep your eyes posted in the bulletin and on our website for the good work of this group.