Parish Update – Friday, March 3

Happy Friday, and it’s already another first Friday of the month at that. February breezed by, did it not? Of course, I guess you can say that about every February. My condolences to those of you have a birthday of Feb. 29. Sorry about that, but next year is going to be your year!

On this 2^nd Sunday of Lent we are invited up the mountain with Peter, James, and John as we hear the stirring account of the Transfiguration of Jesus in the presence of Moses and Elijah. This is always one of my favorite biblical passages, and you can see it depicted in one of the stained-glass windows in the church. It shows how Jesus is the fulfillment of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah), yet fear strikes the disciples and they don’t quite grasp what is happening. … What fear is keeping us from recognizing the Lord in our own lives? Do we hear God’s voice? What might we need to let go of in this Lenten season to be able to recognize Jesus at work in our lives?

Here’s some of the news and notes of what is happening at CtR this week:

• We invite and welcome you to join us for Mass this weekend on Saturday at 5 p.m., or Sunday at 7, 9, and 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. For those unable to join us in person due to illness or infirmity, our livestream is available on Sunday at 9 a.m. on both our Facebook and YouTube pages. You can find the link to the livestream at www.ctrcc.com/live-stream, and in addition, you’ll find there both a worship aid and a link to the Scripture readings to follow along with Mass. And you can make your weekly offertory contribution online at www.ctrcc.com/donate. … Join us for Coffee and Donuts after the morning masses in the Parish Hall on Sunday, too, hosted by our Ushers, Altar Servers, and Choir.

• Speaking of Ushers (and Greeters and Eucharistic Ministers, too) we are in need of more parishioners to put their commitment to Stewardship into action by joining these ministries. As more people make their way back to Mass (which is a good thing!) we find ourselves severely short-handed in the areas of hospitality and service at our liturgies (which is not a good thing). … Ushers and Greeters, along with Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion, are vital ministries for us to serve the people of God. Come over to Coffee and Donuts this week and learn what it involves and prayerfully consider answering God’s call to be part of serving our community. It will be a blessing for you personally, and be a great help to others. That’s what Stewardship is all about!

• A reminder that we will be celebrating First Reconciliation tomorrow morning, Saturday, March 4, for our (mostly) 2^nd grade RE students and thus we will not have our regular 9 a.m. confessions for the community. We have two sessions for the children at 8:30 and 10 a.m., and any adults who might wish to go confession are welcome to join us at 11 a.m. when we should be finishing up with the kids.

• Our Lenten Friday Fish Fry is back again this evening from 4:30- 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Thanks to all the Knights who helped prepare and serve 1,334 dinners in Week 1. It went very smoothly with no one seeming to wait too long to get their hot food. And delicious hot food at that, I might add! Very tasty! The Ladies Auxiliary will be back with more desserts at their bake sale, too, and let’s add a very special thank you to our Youth who were busy clearing tables and taking out the trash. It was teamwork at its finest! … Stations of the Cross follow in the church at 7 p.m., so please plan to join us.

• The men of the parish are invited to join us next Saturday morning (one week from tomorrow) for a Morning of Prayer in the Parish Hall. It will run from 9 a.m. – 12 noon on Saturday, March 11 and provide a few hours together with your brothers in Christ. Deacon Kerry Bourque and Deacon David Carrasco are heading up a fine team of men to lead it, and you’ll find it to be a much-needed spiritual boost to your Lenten journey. You can’t beat the cost, either – free. Learn more and RSVP to attend at www.ctrcc.com/mensmorningofprayer.

• First, our Lenten Parish Almsgiving initiative is off to a very strong start so thank you to all who have given to the Migrant Worker Progam and Literacy Wagon in the Diocese of Yakima. Visit www.ctrcc.com/catholicextension to learn more and join hundreds of your fellow parishioners in giving alms this Lent.

• Next, we announced our 2023 Parish Pilgrimage to Cairo, Egypt and the Holy Land, Sept. 4-16 last week and 47 of you have already put down a deposit. That’s a wonderful response and we can’t wait to journey with you. We’ve got room for more, but you would be advised to reserve your spot sooner rather than later. It promises to be a memorable trip to walk in the footsteps of our Lord in Israel (and to see the sights in Egypt as well). We have a brochure and registration form available at www.ctrcc.com/parish-pilgrimages or you can pick up a printed copy in the parish office that spells out all the details. 

• And finally, orders are coming in fast and furious for our great looking 2023 CtR Spring Festival t-shirts, so make sure you get yours, too. We’ve got two vibrant colors to choose from and your pre-order will ensure you get the size (both kids and adults) and color you want for only $15 each. The order form can be found at www.ctrcc.com/springfestival. … Remember the Festival takes place April 29-30, and we will kick-off our final countdown to it in just a few weeks, so stay tuned for all the details. We have much to share with you on what is shaping up to be yet another great weekend for our parish community at the Spring Festival. Can’t wait!

• As we will be heading into Spring Break next Friday, we’ll take a break ourselves from the usual Friday Update, so keep all the above information handy, and look for the next update two weeks from today on Friday, March 17.

St. Katharine Drexel, whose feast day is today, pray for us! … St. Katharine is the first saint to have been born a U.S. citizen. She came from a wealthy family in Philadelphia, and used her good fortune to help others and today is known as the patron saint of Philanthropy. ... She established the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to help Native American and Black Americans in the southern U.S., and was the foundress of Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, the only Black and Catholic university in the U.S. She died not too long ago, in 1955, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Peace, Fr. Sean