Another gorgeous weekend in the Southern Tier of New York State. On Friday night I had the privilege of officiating at the marriage of Jake Horvat and Melissa Miller. Jake, a widower, met Melissa, who had never married, shortly after his wife's death. Much to the surprise of both Jake and Melissa, God, the great lover and suitor of souls brought them together, worked magically to help them fall in love - and now to me married. You never know what's around the corner when God's involved and i n charge of your life.

Pat is in Rochester helping her sister Bobbie and her husband Don move into their new home. So, I've been on my own this weekend. Typically, my compulsive workaholism takes over when given the freedom to sit at my computer and catch up on the diverse items on my plate. I did take over and I spent much of Saturday - not basking in the sun but typing thank you notes to friends who sent Mass cards and made charitable donations in memory of my Mom. I have been overwhelmed by the number of cards we've received. I'm not very good at the greeting card thing - so I especially marvel at the people who send them. People have been so thoughtful.

Today the Choir returned to the 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. Mary's. What a gift music is. After Mass our parish gathered for Coffee and baked goods supplied by my staff. Oops. I guess I don't do the "baked goods thing"
very well either. Thank God others take charge of these events.

At 10:15 I met with the Building and Grounds Committee and at 11:00 a.m.
with the Faith Formation teachers as next week is Catechetical Sunday.

The Bills one at home today. I got to watch the first half before making a home visit and hospital visit. The evening ended, except for this note with a prayer service in Bath's Pulteney Park commemorating the events of 4 years ago and the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Many of the participants were parishioners of St. Mary's. It was very nice.

This week I've "borrowed" my "Sent to Serve" column from my friend Charlotte Bruney's "Charlotte's Web" bulletin column. Charlotte tells me that she "borrowed" it from Fr. Ed Palumbos' "Said Ed" bulletin column. Ed based the column of words "borrowed" from Bishop J. Terry Steib of Memphis, Tennessee.

There are few original thoughts left in this world and the one's that are - are worth "borrowing" and sharing.

"The most original people are the one's who best hide their sources."
(Author Unknown)

Blessings to all . . .

Click the image to the right for our printable column (Adobe PDF file, plugin needed)

September 11, 2005

At Home with the People of God

Recently I came across a pastoral letter by Bishop J. Terry Steib of Memphis, Tennessee, in which he wrote about parish as being “home” – not just a building, but a community of faith in relationship – the “People of
God”:

“In Baptism, we are received into God’s family, and church is the home
where that family gathers to celebrate God’s unconditional love.
Throughout our lives, church is the home where together we mark the pivotal moments, those moments that tell us who God is and who we are because of God’s love. With other members of the family of God, we are like homing pigeons returning time and time again to celebrate births and deaths, baptisms and marriages, confirmations and the Eucharist. These sacramental moments are spent together in addition to our regular ‘family’
gatherings at Sunday liturgies,…religion classes, pastoral council
meetings, scripture studies,…choir rehearsals, adult faith formation sessions, youth groups, and so many other vital parts of our lives as Christians and Catholics.

But as I have reflected on the Church as home, I have become more acutely aware of the numbers of people – the number of Catholics – who are no longer comfortable in their home. In fact, some are no longer certain that the Church is their home. Sometimes it is the circumstances of life that cause people to feel estranged or separated. Occasionally it is a misunderstanding of the Church’s teachings that keeps people away. Often, individuals hide a deep pain that is rooted in knowing that, for whatever the reason, their lives do not conform to other people’s lives; or worse, they feel that who they are is unacceptable.”

We are called to be Church to one another. In giving us the Church, Christ has provided us with a spiritual home which is only a shadow of the home we will share for eternity when all the “walls” will have come down and we are truly one with God and one another. Our task on earth is to continue to build up the Body of Christ in anticipation of that glorious day.

Are you aware of someone who is not “at home” at St. Mary’s? Or someone who has simply drifted away from us? Someone who might feel alienated or “shut out” from our communal life? Please let them know that we are here for them, ready to listen, ready to learn from their experiences and willing to share the Good News. We hope and promise that they will always find here a warm welcome. Sometimes all we have to do is invite; God will do the rest.

Let us put a special effort this year to learn one another’s names, to greet one another by name, to miss one another when we are away from
“home”. Let no one leave our church feeling as if their presence made no
difference to our celebration. May we always reach out to others so they too can be “at home” with us.
_____________________________

Joining the Church - Informational Meeting On a related subject, we will soon begin Informational meetings for adults and children interested in finding out more about the process of formally joining the Roman Catholic Church. Our first Informational meeting will take place on Thursday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Office Dining Room.

If you know someone who might be interesting in joining us on our journey of faith, please let me know and I will extend a formal invitation. If you’d like to be part of a team of parishioners that will help adults and/or children prepare for the Easter sacraments through the RCIA process, we’d love to have you on the team. Please call 776-3327

Have a good week. Serve one another well.

I pray that you will enjoy this visit, and if you like,
                                          E-Mail me with your comments

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