A Letter from Fr. Paul - September 23, 2018

This weekend, September 22-23, we are having our annual collection to help our sister parish, Santa Maria, in Guatemala. The money is well used to buy materials for catechetical centers in the distant communities of the parish; the people themselves provide the labor. Envelopes are in the pews for the collection. If you were not able to attend Mass at Pius this weekend, the envelopes will be there next week (and for a few weeks after) for you to use for your donation. Please be as generous as you can for this worthwhile effort.

This Tuesday evening, September 25, from 6 to 7 pm, there will be an open house just for parishioners at our school, Wauwatosa Catholic. Please stop by, meet our new principal, and see the inspiring work by our students in the hallways and classrooms. A few moments walking around the school is all that is needed to understand how wonderful the International Baccalaureate Program is.

As we head into fall, a big “thank you” goes to our volunteer “Garden Angels,” who have donated their time and talent on a weekly basis to keep our grounds looking so stunning. We appreciate all you do!

There was a recent article in the National Catholic Reporter about a Salvatorian parish and school in Huntsville, Alabama. St. Joseph’s grade school was the first integrated grade school in Alabama, achieved through “reverse integration,” that is, White students coming to an all-Black school. You can find the article here>>

Our readings today are clear and challenging. Paul asks, where do the conflicts among you come from? And then answers, is it not from your passions? He goes on to point out that we cause much of the unhappiness we experience. In the Gospel Jesus continues to try to teach his disciples how to live, but they argue over who is the greatest. Jesus says the greatest is the servant of all. The “taking up your cross” that Jesus mentioned last week is NOT looking for suffering; it is being a servant to others, it is letting others be first, it is learning to manage our very human emotions (passions) that want to put us first. When we can do these three things, true happiness and peace will be ours.

I invite us to reflect this week on the call to serve others. How am I doing? How can I do better? What concrete steps can I take to make sure I improve? And let us support each other in prayer.