A LETTER FROM FR. PAUL - JUNE 24, 2018

Mass Time Change: the Pastoral Council has approved changing the time of Sunday Mass from 10:15 to 10:30, beginning September 16, the Sunday after the Grass Mass. This change gives parents of children in religious education sufficient time to come from Christ King to attend the Mass. Hopefully, this will be a smooth transition for everyone.

Reminder: the open house to thank Barb Abler for her 18 years as director of Tosa Trio Youth Ministry will be held in our cafeteria this Sunday, June 24, from 11:15 to 1 pm. Please put this in your calendar and plan to stop by and congratulate Barb on her retirement and enjoy light refreshments with parishioners from our three parishes.

Catholic Stewardship Appeal: after the video was shown at Masses and I pushed the appeal, another 3.5% of our families contributed $600, which puts us at 47% of our goal, but only 14% of our families have participated. If you have not yet contributed for 2018, I urge you to do so. There are extra envelopes on the small table in the vestibule of the church.

A reminder that we have a parish library with some wonderful books, located in the back of the chapel (which used to be the cry room). Check it out when the church is open for Masses, or come to the office and the receptionist can let you in. I invite you to take advantage of this resource.

This weekend we have a very rare event: we celebrate the Nativity of John the Baptist, instead of the 12th Sunday of Ordinary time. In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah states: The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name…You are my servant, he said to me… In the second reading Paul speaks of the call of David to be king and of John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus. The point is that all of us are called, by name, to prepare the way of the Lord for other people, just as John the Baptist did over 2,000 years ago. The Gospel story of John’s birth confirms that he was called for a special mission.

As we celebrate this special feast, let us remember that we are called to evangelize, to prepare the way of the Lord, so that He can come to others. A kind word, a forgiving gesture, a sharing of resources – it is through common, ordinary actions that we normally prepare – or block -- the way of the Lord. Let us reflect this week on how we might be preparing the way of the Lord, or blocking the way, asking for the grace to grow in our ability to prepare the way. And let us support each other in prayer.
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Absences in the next month: I will be visiting family out East from June 29th through July 6. Fr. Peter Schuessler SDS will celebrate the masses on June 30/July 1. I will be on retreat from after the morning Mass on Monday, July 16, through Friday, July 20th.

-- Paul James Portland, SDS