10/01/21
Dear Friends,
As we move into October and we have officially started the season of Fall, which was actually on the 22nd of September, but who’s counting? At least I feel, for myself, my schedule has picked up immensely. At times, I am falling all over myself to get things done. (Yes, the pun was intended, just roll your eyes, and move on). Between the kickoff of Faith Formation, school and various committees I am committed to within the diocese, things are moving quickly. I cannot begin to imagine how distracted you all are trying to get things done in your own lives.
Speaking of distracted, on Tuesday, I was meeting a priest who I mentor for coffee. When I left the church, I stopped for gas and my normal thing is to get coffee. Needless to say, I was so tied to my routine, and not thinking about what I was doing, I got coffee and continued on with my drive to my meeting. The good news is that I was WIDE awake for the meeting before it even began. The bad news is that I was absolutely over-caffeinated for the rest of the day.
This weekend, we have a few exciting things going on in our parish. Tomorrow, Saturday, we have our annual Blessing of Animals at 10:00 am as well as our Parish Picnic on Sunday, from 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm at Freedom Park. I love both events. It is a great way to see all of you outside of the liturgical setting. I always like to remind people that the Blessing of Animals is not just a blessing of dogs (which most people bring). I will bless anything. I always joke about not blessing fish, but that is more a logistical thing and blessing something in water with Holy Water is always weird to me. The Deacons and I will bless anything, snakes, birds, guinea pigs etc. No pet rocks.
This weekend, take the time to do something fun, maybe make it something with your faith community. It is easy to let our daily schedule dictate what we do. Break from the normal Saturday routine for the Blessing of Animals. Don’t just come to mass and leave on Sunday, come to the picnic and meet other parishioners. Have an extra coffee even if you don’t mean to.
Happy Fall and God Bless,
Fr. Brian