Hello Everyone…
Today we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Easter. This is known as Good Shephard Sunday.
Father Maria has departed for India. He will be in India for the next 5 weeks and will return on June 2nd. He has asked us to pray for him and his safe travels. His last words to me were, “don’t let the parishioners forget about me.” I don’t think we can forget about Father Maria. We will miss him and look forward to his return in June.
After many years of service for us at St Francis Xavier as the Head of Maintenance, John Hanson has accepted another job. His last day of work for us was Friday. John has been a tremendous asset for us at St Francis. His knowledge and skill set with regards to the maintenance program at St Francis has probably saved the parish over hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions over the course of his time at St. Francis. While we are sad to see him go, we are very happy for him and this new opportunity and adventure that he begins. And while John will no longer be the Head of Maintenance, he will continue to advise us and his replacement and will be more than willing to help us out when we need him. He will also still be involved in the running and management of the cemetery as well. Thank you very much John Hanson, for your many years of work here at St Francis and for you dedication and love of this parish.
Linda Rautiola will also be leaving us soon. Linda has been our Financial Assistant for last couple of years. She has decided to leave this position in favor of spending more time with her husband and grandchildren. While Linda’s time with us was short, we certainly appreciate all that she has done for the parish in keeping our parish finances straight. We will miss Linda as she has been a joy to work with.
We are excited to announce that Tracy Creel will be taking over as the Financial Assistant for our cluster. She has been working closely with Linda over the past few weeks…learning the position. Tracy has worked with us for a few years now helping out in the office when Kris has an occasional day off or is on vacation. We are excited about this new opportunity for Tracy.
We have received the Bishop’s approval to move forward with a rather large construction project at St Francis Xavier. The project includes rebuilding the roads in the cemetery, the sidewalks in front of the church, and removing and replacing the east, west, and south parking lots at St Francis. The total cost of the project is not to exceed $190,000. We currently have $117,000 in donated money from an anonymous donor for the project and are looking to fundraise another $73,000. The reality is the cemetery roads, the church parking lot, and the church sidewalks are all in rough shape. I have had numerous parishioners complain about the condition of the parking lot and sidewalks. If they are not already…they will soon be a safety hazard. This is a project we must move forward with. This will be the beginning of a long process of beautifying the St Francis campus and perhaps move us towards a renovation of the church. Parish and Finance Council have approved this project and the final details should be completed this week. I will send out an email when the details are finalized and explain how you can donate towards this project. In the meantime if you would like to donate to this project please contact Kris in the office.
The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a takeout lunch at St John the Baptist on April 25th after the 11am Mass. The lunch will include a hot sandwich, chips and a pickle. Free will donation will be appreciated.
Just an FYI: As more people are getting vaccinated our churches are filling up more. I talked to the Bishop about this and asked him what our options are. His main concern is mask wearing and 6 feet of social distancing. With that in mind…he is allowing us to have people sit in the roped off pews provided we can maintain 6 feet of distance. I will inform the ushers of this decision and instruct them on how to seat people in the roped off pews. He is not opposed to us opening up all the roped off pews but for now would like us to keep every other pew blocked off and seat people there on a case by case basis. If you have any questions about this please contact me.
Exposition of Sacred Relics – Treasures of the Church will be presented by Father Carlos Martins at Holy Name Catholic Church in Wausau on Wednesday April 28th at 6:30pm. A flyer is attached to this email.
On May 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in Medford will be hosting the Eucharistic Miracles of the World. Experience 126 Church approved Eucharistic Miracles described on 140 panels of the Vatican International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World. In the entire history of the Catholic Church there have been numerous Eucharistic Miracles approved by the Catholic Church as worthy of belief. The Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit is composed of an extensive assortment of photographs and historical descriptions of miracles, healings, and visions. The public will be invited to view the panels on the following dates and times:
Thursday, May 6th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm
Friday, May 7th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm
Saturday, May 8th from Noon to 8:00pm
Sunday, May 9th from 9:00am to 3:00pm
There is no cost to come and view the display. Do not miss this opportunity to grow closer to the Eucharist by viewing this incredible display.
There is something unique about the times in which we live, especially in this country.
2018 was the first time in one hundred years that the life expectancy in the United States declined for a third consecutive year. The last time that happened was 1918. Two things were happening in 1918…the conclusion of World War One and the Spanish Flu. What is the cause for this decline in life expectancy now? We are not fighting a world war, and, while COVID is a genuine crisis that has caused suffering on many levels, it began after 2018.
Some experts argue that the cause of the declining life expectancy is due to what is called “deaths of despair.” There are three such “deaths” they highlight: suicide, cirrhosis of the liver in young adults, and opioid addiction.
The suicide rate has increased every year for the past 13 years. Suicide is up 30-40% since 1999. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10–14-year-olds in our country, and has nearly tripled in this age range since 2007. Again…these statistics were before COVID. In one report from the CDC in the summer of 2020, 10% of Americans they surveyed had seriously considered taking their lives in the previous month. Amongst those between the ages of 18-25 that number was 25%.
The second and third “deaths of despair” are also very stunning. The number of people between the ages of 25-34 who die annually from alcohol related liver disease has nearly tripled between 1999 and 2016… with an average yearly increase of around 10%. And despite our country making up only 5% of the world’s population, we consume 80% of the world’s opioids.
The world has no hope apart from Jesus. The world is bound under the powers of Sin and Death, and there is nothing we can do on our own to save the world. The cultural turmoil, upheaval and violence of 2020 only makes this more clear. Politics is very important, law is very important, policies are very important, but none of these can fix the problem. And the problem is the human heart. Read Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 15:18-19.
Only God can...and does…fix the human heart. And He desires to use us, Jesus’ disciples, as agents of this re-creation, healing, and transformation in the lives of those around us and the greater culture and world we live in.
