Holy Spirit Parish

Dear Holy Spirit Parish:                                           1/22/2023

“As he was walking by the sea…..”
                                                                                                (Matt 4:18)

It was when Jesus left the dry land, stepped into the water, and surrendered himself completely to the mystery of his Father’s will that the Spirit of peace descended upon him and remained with him, according to last week’s Gospel.  Today, Jesus finds others waiting along the water for reason to step in.  Jesus casts his vision of the Kingdom and Simon, Andrew, James, and John follow him.

This letter was written before Thursday’s Parish Council meeting.  So, I am not able in writing to share with you whether we have a new Mission Statement or not.  Hopefully I will be able to do so at Mass.  But I can share that at the Town Hall meeting there was strong consensus about the four values our future Mission Statement must capture.  Those present felt called by God to be a Church rooted in the love of Jesus Christ, welcoming to all, abundant in works of charity, and impactful in works of justice.  Once we have the Mission Statement, we will need to write a Vision Statement spelling out how we will live those values out.

But I hope those four values are enough to move you to step into the water and offer your talents and abilities.  A good number of people took home blue Time and Talent sheets last weekend and come ready to offer their gifts of talent to God at Mass this weekend.  For those who didn’t, we will take time during Mass this weekend for people to fill one out.  

If you are not able to be with us this weekend, please send in your blue Time and Talent sheets this coming week.  They are available on a table in the Gathering Room and on the parish website. Our ministry heads are anxious to begin filling all of the Covid holes in our ministry teams.

Along with all the talent and fresh energy we will gather through the Time and Talent sheets this week, we are also anticipating an influx of energy and commitment from the forty-four University Students who went on the SEEK Conference in St. Louis over their winter break and who return for classes Monday.  Students here over break say it was a life changing experience.

If you are not experiencing the sense of community or closeness to God, you wish you were, a good place to start is with Alpha.  This involves being a part of a small group of eight or nine people that meets once a week for eleven weeks.  That may seem like a big time commitment but those who have been a part of it in the past express sadness when the 11 weeks are over.  A meal is shared, there is very rich input about our faith, small group discussion and prayer.  Many have found that their Alpha small group becomes in time a place where they can openly ask questions and share their true feelings.  It begins this Tuesday evening at 6:30pm in Spirit Hall.  Please call the office or sign up on the parish website if you’d like to come.  All are welcome!

Next weekend provides us an excellent opportunity to be a Christ centered, inclusive, servant, justice bringing Church.  The Campaign for Human Development is an annual collection that funds lay led works of justice throughout our country.  Their Mission Statement reads:  Working to break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities.”

It was along the sea, the edge of the unknown, where they met Him.


              Fr. Steve

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