Happy Monday Parish Family!

We would like to thank everyone for their hard work in organizing our Spring Fundraiser, Amici, Fede, e Mangia. It was a fun evening and so nice to see so many of our family members gather and enjoy each other's company. An event like this takes everyone doing their part to make it successful, and we are thrilled to say that we were able to net almost $6000. Thank you! We are so happy you are part of our family.

We hope everyone is staying nice and cool these days! We have had an incredibly busy few weeks/month. It is time to take a break and lean into the silence and let the seeds of the Easter season take root and grow in this ordinary time. We will be closing the office on Monday, June 20, Tuesday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 22. There will be daily Mass but no confessions. Please pray for us as we rest in Christ, renew our spirits and prepare for our upcoming summer events. We will be keeping you all in our prayers as well.

Join us once again at Dell Diamond to watch the Round Rock Express take on the Las Vegas Aviators on Wednesday, June 29 starting at 7:05pm. This fun, family event will feature hot dogs and sodas for a dollar each. making this a fun, affordable family night. The seats are in section 114, which is the same location as last year and are $20 per person. Wear your St. Patrick green shirts and have some fun with your parish family! Tickets (and green shirts if you haven't already gotten one) are available for purchase in the office.

We will be celebrating a 'Blue Mass' here at our 8:30am daily Mass on Friday, June 24. This is a special Mass and a vision of the late Barbara Kelley (Sgt. Christopher Kelley's mother) before she passed away to honor the law enforcement officers in the area with a special blessing and pot-luck breakfast. If you are interested in helping cook, serve or participate in any way please join our Flocknote group linked below. Thank you for you help!

For our Saint of the Week Series, I'd like to introduce you to Servant of God Fr. Emil Joseph Kapaun (1916-1951). I found this saint-to-be while looking through Formed. I will briefly summarize briefly his life here, but consider checking out the following link for a worthwhile, in depth program with stories about not only Fr. Kapaun but the men whose lives he deeply touched: https://formed.org/

Fr. Kapaun longed to be a priest even when he was a little boy, often dressing up a table or boxes with a tablecloth and saying Mass (using Latin words even though he didn't always know their meaning). His family was sure that he would become a priest and he did not disappoint. He was ordained and became a priest at his home parish in Pilsen, Kansas, He also started saying Masses at the nearby Herington Air Base, which sparked his connection to the military community, eventually prompting him to become a chaplain where he could help the men grow closer to God. He served right alongside the soldiers in WWII often in the midst of battle to be close to those who needed him, even though the chaplains were not required to be so close to the fighting. But it never stopped Fr. Kapaun. In fact, after his release from duty, he missed the military life so much he asked to be assigned to the military chaplain corps once again and ended up in Japan during the Korean conflict. He would use the hood of his Jeep as an altar for Mass, heard confessions, gave communion, baptisms, and last rites to anyone who needed them. Tragically, he was captured and died in a Prisoner of War camp, but had saved many lives and formed such a bond with the men he served with that he inspired them to keep his spirit alive. He was eventually posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest military honor.

To learn more about this amazing man, please make sure to tune into Formed. It's worth the watch.

May we all find the passion and courage to bring as many people as possible we can to the light of Christ like Fr. Kapaun.