August 13, 2021
Dear Parish Family,
It’s funny, there are weeks in which I have a plan for what I’m going to write. The wisdom or the whimsy are in full force in my mind. This week, not so much. I know what I want to talk about but the stories or the way to get to the main topic are not there, yet. It is also Friday the 13th; I remind you, we make our own fate or luck, good or bad, so let’s ignore the date.
Last week, I mentioned that this weekend we were supposed to have a speaker join us to discuss the Diocesan Mission Appeal. In the time that I have been here, we have had one religious sister and one priest speak about their work in the world. Obviously, last year we did not have a speaker, nor will we have someone join us this year. Had things not been the way they were, we would have had Fr. Honest Muninshi speak to us about his order, the Spiritans and their work in the Diocese of Zanzibar in Tanzania.
In the bulletin, there will be a full-page insert detailing the work of the Spiritans. In the words of the Bishop of Zanzibar, please note the work his community does: Our daily apostolate is empowerment of women, children, and youth. When you educate a woman, you have freed the whole family and community. In partnership with worldwide Catholics, we try to establish Kindergartens and strengthen the small Christian communities in our 56 mission stations. It’s through the solidarity of the Pontifical missionary societies that we are able to maintain the apostolate of the diocese. Among many of these is education to lay catechists, formation of seminarians, maintain the invited religious missionaries and construction of Parishes and mission station chapels.
All of the work, and more, is accomplished through the support of the various mission appeals that occur each year to support the mission outreach of our diocese. If you use your envelopes, please consider supporting the appeal. If you just put something in the collection basket, again please consider the second collection this weekend. If you donate online, the second collection usually occurs at month end and may be found online. The date for the end of month is to make sure that the speaker has come before the collection happens. If you feel inspired by the mission speaker, you may wish to update your donation. (It is pure speculation on my part. I wasn’t here when the dates were setup).
Have a safe and happy weekend. Stay cool. Don’t forget that as we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary consider wearing blue to mass.
God Bless,
Fr. Brian