Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we are having a look at all of the ministries that are active in our parish. We are truly blessed that so many people volunteer and work in so many ways here at St. Alphonsus. As the ministries come and display what they are doing, we offer the opportunity for even more people to volunteer and be more active in the parish.

Every one in the parish, registered or not, are active parishioners by attending Mass, daily or Sunday. That activeness can be weekly or monthly or even yearly, but clearly the ideal would be weekly. Every parishioner who prays for someone else in the community or another faith community is also an active member. Being active is not limited to one style of participation or another, there are many ways we join together in faith for the betterment of all. The friendliness, the warmth and the hospitality one shows another while entering and leaving church are true and good ways of ministering to your fellow parishioners. We are noted for our openness to others and our receptivity to all people is a blessing and gift from God.

However, this weekend reminds us all of the other opportunities that do exist in our parish to minister to each other. Let me briefly explore some of our ministries:

There are the catechetical ministries that explore, teach, model and form us in all stages of our growth, from infancy to adulthood. This includes everything from RCIA to Wednesday night catechism classes; Confirmation and sacramental preparation to faith sharing experiences. There are many areas of possible involvement here.

There are also many music ministries from playing instruments to using your voice as one. We have many fine quality choirs and maybe your voice is what is missing.

There are several social ministries. This includes helping with the poor to making the area around the church just a little bit more attractive. This can also mean decorating the church to cleaning it and even to visiting members of it. We have a history of social awareness and participation that is stellar in many ways.

Then there are the ministries that I know I have forgotten to list here. Thank God for the weekend so that we can be more aware of all that is offered here and what happens daily in our parish.

I suggest that everybody spend a little time looking over the displays and maybe seeing what could fit into your lives. I realize that we are all busy and have many irons in the fire, but maybe one more could fit in just fine. Hopefully, by looking at the displays this ministry weekend we can all find new ways to be active in our parish.

Thanks for your active participation in our parish.
      
Fr. Andy

Change is often difficult.  As humans, we generally resist change because it means letting go something that we have become familiar with and accustomed to and venturing out into unknown and uncharted waters. When this occurs we come face to face with unpredictable outcomes and a diminished feeling of control over our environment, our little world.   This is ever so true when it comes to liturgical worship, i.e. what we do when we gather to celebrate the Eucharist on Sundays as a community of believers. For example, as a priest, when I go into a new church or parish to lead people in worship, quite often, if I very innocently change one word or phrase in certain revered prayers, certain members of the community will very kindly (at first) inform me that “that’s not how we say it here,” or “we have always done it differently here, father.”    The point being, we resist change.

Next year on the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, we will begin to implement changes in the text of the Liturgy of the Mass.    The Vatican has recently approved the new English-language translation of the Roman Missal. It must be stressed at the outset that the Order of the Mass is not changing.  What is changing is the wording of some of the prayers and some of the responses.  This will require patience on the part of everyone for the first few months, but after a short time these changes too will become second nature.

The Diocese, through the Office for Worship and the Office for Faith Formation, will be providing us with material to assist us in the transition from the old translation to the new.  I personally believe that this whole experience will be a graced moment for us and for the whole church to renew our faith, knowledge and appreciation of the Eucharist for the great gift that it is for God’s people.  So, stay tuned.  You will be hearing a lot more about this in the coming year.

Fr. Bernie Carlin, C.Ss.R.

Have you ever had the opportunity to watch sunflowers follow the sun? When I was in our Novitiate, I used to drive by a whole field of sunflowers and it was so interesting watching them all track the sun. More interesting was watching them shut down for the day as the sun disappeared. The head of each sunflower bent downwards as if they had gone to sleep.

The other day I walked out of the back door of the Rectory and there was this group of blue flowers, wide open pointing towards the sun. When I returned a few hours later all of this blue carpet of flowers was gone. Disappeared! As the Rectory blocked the sun, they has re-entered the pods from which they had sprung.

The sunflowers I understood because I had heard of the flowers propensity to follow the sun and I had witnessed this phenomenon. To me, the blue flowers were a great mystery. Other than their magnificent blue color, I know nothing else which presents such a great quandary.

The people of Jesus’ time must have felt the same way. God promised the Israelites a Messiah, but God never fully revealed who or what it would be. They understood all that they saw Christ do, marveled at it and probably even questioned it as to the authority that Christ had. The mundane they could understand, but the spiritual confused them because they did not know who Christ really was.

In certain occasions they were confused by Christ’s power and authority because they did not have the wherewithal to understand Christ. They were expecting a person of authority like a powerful soldier or a dominating ruler. Where could a carpenter’s son get such gifts?

All of my life, I have studied Christ’s life, his actions and his power but never have I fully understood it. It is in faith that I accept our Messiah. It is through our trust in God our Father, and the hope of our life to come that I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. God promised, God fulfilled, and our lives are now based on hope, hope of the spiritual life and the journey to come.

Blessings, Fr. Denis

Dear Parishioners,

As we approach the end of August, I get the feeling that summer is coming to an end. That feeling is surely personal but maybe it hits home a bit with you as well. On the one hand, it makes me kind of sad for all the things that I had planned and yet haven’t done. But, on the other hand, I am happy with all that I did accomplish and am so expectant of the things to come.

As a child and then a teenager, I always dreaded the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. I enjoyed the adenture and challenge of learning and being reunited with classmates, but highly disliked the rigidness of being in a classroom while the weather outside was so wonderfully warm and inviting. I wanted to learn and to grow and to be somebody, but I wanted it my way and some how the end of summer was telling me I had to do it someone elses way.

The end of summer, of anything, reminds us of how very human we are. It reminds us of how dependent we are on others and of things we have surrounded ourselves with – both good and bad things. The end of summer also means the beginning of a new time. A time when all is possible again, the mistakes forgotten and the possiblities renewed. The realization that although I didn’t get to do this or that, I can still do this and that. I then begin to look forward at all the wonderfull things that are just around the corner and the fretting of what wasn’t gets lost in the anticipation of newer and hopefully, better things the new season is bringing.

Yes, summer is waning and school and other activities are calling. Life goes on and with it, the challenges beckon us to embrace the living of each day as fully and faithfully as possible. As I hope to embrace the new with faith, I hope that each of you may embrace and be embraced by the faith as well. Have a great end of summer and an even greater beginning of all that comes next.

May God bless the St. Alphonsus family!

Fr. Andy