It’s good to be back
During the past two weeks, I have been away 8 days, either on my annual retreat or up in Buffalo helping my Mom get settled in her new home. Let me assure you that while I was away, nothing ground to a halt. I have to say that parish life, especially parish life here at St. Paul’s, never stands still no matter who is home. There is always something good going on. We have so much to be proud of and grateful for here at St Paul Church.
Here are some highlights from the last couple of weeks.
40 Days for Life
Over 70 people spent some time before the Blessed Sacrament during our observance of the national “40 days for life” campaign. I was so touched to see so many people participate. The young and the old, those married and those single, all shared in this important ministry. Several people from our parish also prayed at the Hartford GYN center for an end to abortion.
Rosary Crusade
Over 40 people went to Paper Goods Park to pray the rosary. The Rosary Crusade is also a national event which encourages Catholics to pray the Rosary in public places. Once again, the turn out was excellent and a powerful witness for those who prayed and those who happened to drive by.
Praying for Shelby
You would have been so moved last Sunday night, as 30 kids and a large number of adults gathered in our church to pray for our own Shelby Luddy. As you may know, Shelby is one of our parishioners and she is 16 years old. Sadly, she had a stroke a couple of months ago. The young people who came were so very sincere and prayerful. It was the first time several of them experienced Eucharistic Adoration. When the prayer vigil was over, the kids just didn’t seem to want to leave and enjoyed getting to know Sal Biase, our new Youth Minister. Now that our Church has internet, Shelby and her Mom were able to see the whole prayer service and pray with us from her hospital room via Skype. A special thank you to all who helped organize this or attended.
Mass on the Mountain
Last Tuesday, our Middle School students, their teachers, Sal, our Youth Minister, a couple of intrepid parents and two friars hiked up Ragged Mountain. At the top of the “mountain” we celebrated Mass at a place called Big Rock and reflected on how God uses beauty to call us to Himself. After Mass we explored a little more of the Ragged Mountain Reserve before returning to school. OK, I admit it, I had the bus leave a little earlier and go back to school a little later so the kids didn’t have class. Let me tell you, the Fall foliage was beautiful from the top of Ragged Mountain.
College Care Packages
Our College Care Packages will be on their way shortly. You may have noticed them on the Altar this weekend during Mass. This year our Parish is sending 93 care packages to our college and university students. Last year the kids really appreciated receiving them. Once again a special thank you to the committee who is organizing this project and the Ryan Lee Foundation for helping us fund it.
Youth Group(s)
Thanks to the efforts of Sal Biase, our High School Youth Group continues to meet every Monday Night at 7:30. Last week there was a great turnout and everyone seemed happy that they attended. Keep your eyes on the bulletin. Sal hopes to start the Middle School Youth Group in the month of November.
Archbishop Mansell
I had a meeting with Archbishop Mansell last week, and he asked me a lot of questions about our parish. I have to say, he is such a kind and humble man to talk with. I came away from the meeting convinced that he cares very much about our parish and what’s going on. In the near future, I promise to share some of the things we discussed, but for now suffice it to say that our Archbishop is very happy with our parish and very grateful for your extraordinary support of the Annual Archbishop’s Appeal. Last year we exceeded our $85,000 goal by $15,000.
Whew! I don’t think I missed anything, but if I did, I’m sure someone will let me know. It’s good to be back and God Bless you all.