November 11, 2022

Dear Friends, 

         As I have gotten older, I have realized that my body does not respond to foods as it once did. Certain foods give me weird dreams. I know this is the case for other people, but I feel that I am selectively forgetful about the foods that cause the weird dreams. Either way, this was just a long build up to the fact that I had weird dreams last night. 

         I have found that there is a certain logic to the dreams I have.  There is always a lesson that I learn from them. The dream started out with me in the sacristy of a nondescript church. I feel like it is always a blend of the church I grew up in and all the successive churches I have served. As I am getting ready for a Sunday mass, a lector walks in and gives me an iced coffee in a reusable mug and says: “I know you need this, so I brought you some coffee and another surprise.” I mean this is a dream come to true for me; however, as I turn around, she has also brought three kids to be altar servers to serve at the 8:00 mass. 

         COFFEE and 3 altar servers before the 8:00 mass?! This is the best dream ever! The only thing missing was a penguin. There were other parts to this dream, but they were just odd. When I woke up this morning, I was really drawn to the subconscious reminder about needing more altar servers. However, it is not just altar servers we need. I have been grateful over these past few months to continue to see an influx of new families and faces in our parish. I know some of these people have already gotten involved in various ministries, others not so much. If you remember last year when Fr. Larry came that weekend to visit, he reminded us all how important it is to take ownership of your church. 

         I stand in the sanctuary week upon week asking for help with things with limited success. It is so easy to think Fr. Brian is in charge and knows what he’s doing. Ask the staff, I wing it half the time. We all need to be involved in our parish to make it continue to grow and flourish. As I am finishing up this letter, I have the list of names of people who are volunteering to lector at masses.  We could really use more Lectors, especially for our 11:00 am mass. We could use ushers, Eucharistic Ministers, and (of course) Altar Servers. While I understand for some of us, we are terrified of public speaking but there are always options. Perhaps you can take on the role of chief recruiter and ask someone have you ever thought about …?  Sometimes a suggestion from a friend or parishioner makes all the difference. 

         Please get involved where you can and help my weird dreams of morning coffee and multiple altar servers come true!

God Bless,

Fr. Brian 

P.S. I know you all come down here to read the jokes, or I hope you do, but I do not want to also just add a small thought on this Veteran's Day. Make sure you take time to say thank you to those who have served in our Armed Forces. It is so easy to just see a hat or a jacket and forget about the service these men and women have given to our country, the sacrifices they made. We pray for them, we thank them, but most especially we do not forget them. 

P.P.S. What kind of clothes do volunteers wear? Participants.