Good afternoon,
I pray this email finds all of you doing well in body, mind and spirit.

A quick bit of business...
We're in need of someone to permanently cover the 3am Wednesday morning adoration hour. This is obviously not an easy hour to take, but even at 3am the blessings of spending time with the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist are amazing. Please consider volunteering to take this hour. If by chance there are two people willing to take it, you could split it and go every other week. Just a thought. And if there happened to be four of you willing, then that would be a commitment of only once a month. Piece of cake. :) If you're interested, please let me know.

Now for a few thoughts...
For many years I've thought about faith, small f and capital F. Our faith in and relationship with God, and our Catholic Faith, the application and practice of that faith in God through his Church.
I've wondered over the years just how strong my faith is, both in God and in his Church. I've been tested so to speak, as we all have, with challenges and opportunities concerning my faith. I've done well with some challenges and fairly poorly with others. I'm very thankful and blessed for a loving, merciful and forgiving God.
Those challenges and opportunities for all of us have come in the form of personal tragedies of health, finances, broken relationships, etc., as well as the failings of Church leadership at times, challenges of laziness or apathy on our part, as well as the challenge of making time for our faith/Faith amongst the busyness of our lives/schedules (and those of our kids).

Those other tests/challenges/opportunities continue for us, but now on top of them all we have the current pandemic to add to the list.
For many, this pandemic adds the challenges of isolation, frustration, depression, anger, fear, etc. to what we're already experiencing.
Many are longing to get back to normal, but concerning our faith/Faith, I pray that our new normal is far better than what it used to be.

Your guess is as good as mine as to when that new normal happens, but until it does, we can't sit idly by just waiting on it. We must actively work on and participate in our faith/Faith.
If we don't, then we'll return to the old normal of over 50% of Catholics not believing in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
If we don't, then we'll return to the old normal of 7% of parishioners in Catholic parishes who contribute their time, talent and treasures.
If we don't, then we'll return to the old normal of over 60% of Catholics who don't participate in Mass on a weekly basis.
If we don't, then we'll return to the old normal of too many parents only showing up to get their child Baptized, to receive their First Communion and Reconciliation, and then we wonder why we don't see the kids after they receive Confirmation.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to get back to normal.

I want more...I want better...for myself, my family, for our parish, our Church, our city, country and world.
We need a better normal.

Please pray, working on your faith and your personal relationship with God.
Please actively participate in your Faith, in this parish, our parish. Participate in Mass in person if you feel safe to do so...if not, join us online every Sunday at 9am (thank you David for blessing us with this option). Use the resources found on Formed.org that our parish has provided for all of us (along with other good Catholic resources online). By the way, check out The Search on Formed if you're looking for specific suggestions...it's amazing. Read daily devotionals. Read the readings for the upcoming Sunday, meditating and praying with them...and if you have the time, put your thoughts and prayers to pen & paper. Your own homily so to speak...I'd love to hear/read it. Whatever you do, just don't sit idly by concerning your faith/Faith. There is too much at stake.

And if the isolation, frustration, apathy or whatever are getting to you, remember that you are not alone in this challenge. I'm (as well as all of the parish staff) a phone call, a text, an email, zoom, facetime away (and even an in-person visit)...as are practically every other friend/family of yours.

I could go on preaching, but I'll end my ramblings before I get too comfortable on top off this soapbox :)

Please know that you are all prayed for, along with prayers for a new and better normal.

God bless.