For the week of Sunday, July 18, 2021
Dear Friends:
I suppose it happens in many areas of life, but there are often people who believe that they have skills for particular kinds of activities who really don't have them (at least not yet), and they have to find out the hard way through frustration and disappointment. At the same time there are others who really aspire to various kinds of service but who believe that they aren't qualified to engage in those roles. And so they don't; they hold back, also in frustration. I can tell you that this happens regularly in a church community!
Every parish needs competent leaders to stay vital—not just clergy and not just staff, but enthusiastic parishioners who are willing and interested in stepping up to take a role in guiding the community into its mission. We have plenty of them here at Pax now, and we will always have a need for more.
Perhaps you, or someone you know, fall into one of the groups that I just mentioned and would like to do something about it. Here's a rare opportunity to do that! I think I've mentioned before that Pax Christi entered into a partnership with St. Catherine University, just before the pandemic came around, to create a certificate program for people in parishes who would like to learn more about, and be equipped for, being effective disciples and leaders within their communities. It's partly education in theology and partly supervised practical projects at the parish level, both over the course of a couple of years.
It's very part-time, but at the end of it you'll have a certificate from St. Kate's to use as a credential to identify you as a well-trained and formed candidate for leadership/discipleship in any place where you might be called to use those skills.
Until recently, people wishing to hone their knowledge and skills in Catholic communal leadership had to enroll in a master's degree program of some kind, at considerable expense both in time and money. The past couple of decades has shown that people just don't have those resources to sacrifice anymore, but the need is no less pressing in the churches.
I've been teaching for St. Kate's for the past couple of years and will be continuing to do so as part of this Discipleship Certificate program for at least the next year. It is an ecumenical endeavor that has drawn in some wonderful students and congregations. Our own Scott Brazil, Director of Faith Formation here at Pax, is about halfway through the pilot program now.
Maybe the best news of all is that it is free of charge! Because of the philanthropy of the Eli Lilly Foundation, our local Catholic Community Foundation, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and St. Catherine, prospective participants will not have to pay a thing to be a part of this valuable opportunity. It's a rare window of opportunity for those who feel so called. It starts up this fall, and that's not far off.
If you are interested in being a part of this, please contact me (or better, Scott, who is a hired student assistant for this project and can probably give you better detailed information on the process of enrollment.) This might be a wonderful opportunity for both you and Pax Christi to be enriched.
Fr. Mike
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW FOR A VIDEO MESSAGE FROM FR. MIKE
JOIN US FOR PRAYER AND WORSHIP
WEEKDAY MASS
(Mask Optional)
Tuesdays ~ 8:30am on-site
Wednesdays ~ 8:30am on-site
Fridays ~ 8:30am on-site
Wednesdays ~ 8:30am on-site
Fridays ~ 8:30am on-site
WEEKEND MASS
Saturdays ~ 5:00pm Live Stream and on-site (Face masks optional)
Sundays ~ 9:00am on-site (Face masks and social distancing required)
Sundays ~ 11:00pm on-site (Face masks optional)
Sundays ~ 11:00pm on-site (Face masks optional)
RECONCILIATION
Fr. Mike will hear confessions at 4:00pm each Saturday inside in the Chapel. Those who wish to celebrate this sacrament can enter through door #3, and wait in the hallway to the right leading to the Chapel for the person who is celebrating the sacrament to be finished, and then come forward to receive the sacrament.
COVID-19 UPDATES
CLICK HERE to view schedules, updates, and resources during COVID-19.
REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS
Thank you for your continued generosity!
Week of July 4:
Online Giving 32,039
Cash and Checks 12,140
Total Week #1 44,179
Budget 50,000
Variance (5,821)
Budgeted regular contributions for the new fiscal year is $2,425,000 allocated weekly based on historical giving.
CLICK HERE for online giving.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLICK HERE for all upcoming events and registration.
BURGUNDY BAG FOOD DONATION PROGRAM
Pax Christi welcomes back the Burgundy Bag Food Donation Program that supports the PROP Food Shelf. Grab a Burgundy Bag and join in our parish effort to respond to those who are facing hunger in our community. The bags are reusable and are meant to be taken to the grocery store, filled with foodstuffs, and brought back to church for transport to the PROP food shelf. Everyone who drops off a bag of food at the church is invited to take an empty tote bag back home and repeat the process so that the Pax Christi food drive runs continuously. All nonperishable food donations are appreciated, with or without the burgundy bag! CLICK HERE to learn more.
DISCIPLESHIP IN A DIVIDED CHURCH: A BOOK DISCUSSION
Sunday, August 8 at 12:15pm in the Mahatma Gandhi Room 212
As we anticipate the diocesan synod process this fall, we have a unique opportunity to come together in a safe space with fellow Pax Christi members for a challenging conversation around divisions in the Catholic Church today. Pax Christi parishioner, Angela Senander, will lead a discussion of her book, Scandal: The Catholic Church and Public Life. Whether understood as negative public relations or as an action, attitude, law, or institution influencing another to sin, scandal affects the Catholic Church's proclamation of the good news of God's saving love. This makes theological reflection about scandal an essential aspect of being Catholic today. Failure to engage in this reflection risks truncating the tradition and obscuring the Good News. This book invites this reflection in order to understand differences in perception and judgment, make appropriate courses of action more clear, and enable Catholics to participate more effectively and authentically as a faith community in public life. Join others in our community as we share our reflections, struggles, and hopes for the future.
Discussion with the author will be August 8 at 12:15pm in room 212. Angela Senander is a theologian with experience directing the Institute for Catholicism and Citizenship as an associate professor at the University of St. Thomas. She also served as chair of the department of systematic and moral theology at Washington Theological Union, where she taught courses on church in the public square.
CLICK HERE to register for this event and to purchase a discounted copy of the book for $12.00. Scholarships are available to anyone for whom this would be a barrier to participation.
FAITH FORMATION 2021-22 REGISTRATION
Registration will open up on Thursday, July 15 for all of our child and youth programs. Fully onsite options will be offered on Sundays from 6:15-7:15pm, and on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30pm. In addition, fully at-home/online programming will be offered to those who would prefer that method. CLICK HERE to access the registration page. Contact Scott Brazil is you have any questions. sbrazil@paxchristi.com.
HONORING OUR PANDEMIC LOSSES AND HOPES
Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 at all Masses: Mass of Loss and Hope
Wednesday, August 10 at 6:00pm: Anointing Prayer - Gathering in Loss and Hope
Grief expert David Kessler has said that while we recognize the need to grieve from the devastating loss of our loved ones, we also grieve the loss of plans, a job, a relationship, our health. We can even grieve the feeling of safety and trust as our worldview shifts after trauma. Although the pandemic affected each of us in different ways, there is no doubt it has had a profound effect on all of us so, as Catholics, we want to come together to ritualize this time in our history and honor our many manifestations of grief, bringing our experience to God in prayer and trusting that God hears us and cares for us, as well as offer hope to each other.
Mass of Loss and Hope: Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 at all Masses
On the weekend of July 31 - August 1, we will recall as a community the losses and hope we have individually and collectively experienced during the pandemic at each Mass. Please feel free to join in this prayer experience by utilizing the prayer basket that will be carried to the altar along with the bread and wine at the start of the Eucharistic prayer. We invite you to write down the pandemic losses that you experienced that were difficult. They could be large or small losses, losses that you have let go of, or losses that you continue to wrestle with. Maybe then take a few moments to reflect on your hopes for the future and write those as well. There will be writing materials available at the back of the Sanctuary, but you can also feel free to write down your thoughts before you come to Mass.
Anointing Prayer - Gathering in Loss and Hope: Wednesday, August 10 at 6:00pm
Please join us for this special prayer service. With the help of scripture, song, meditation, ritual, anointing, and optional faith-based sharing after the service, we will see how God has been revealed to you during these past 15 months.
During the service, the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick will be available for any member of our community who is in need of a deeper emotional or physical healing. While the physical effects of a healing are not always noticed, the primary effect of the sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany illness of the mind, body, or spirit. Blessing with oil offers us both grace and a physical reminder that Jesus is with us through all passages of life and brings us hope and healing.
All are welcome to join us for this service and have an opportunity to be anointed and/or to remain after the service for faith-based sharing around thoughtful questions.
Together we can shine a light and point the way towards healing.
PAX CHRISTI HABITAT FOR HUMANITY TEAM
Did you know that Pax Christi has had a volunteer crew that builds houses on Fridays since December 2019.? While having some carpentry skills is helpful, most first-time volunteers have very few skills and develop them over time. We need more women and men to join our work crew. Covid has created difficulties, but beginning July 15, Habitat will need our Pax Friday crew to provide 12 volunteers. If you don’t like construction sites but love your kitchen, maybe you can provide treats for a coffee break or lunch for the workers. Or maybe you just want to write a check to Habitat. We are hoping to be a “Faith Community” partner with “Faith Builds” on a multi-home site in Chaska. Need more information, Bryce Fier (crew coordinator and 20-year Habitat volunteer) wants to hear from YOU. To contact Bryce, reach out to Joan Howe-Pullis at jhowe-pullis@paxchristi.com and she will connect you with Bryce.
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