Father Mike's Message - 01/22/2023

Dear Parishioners,

Today at 1:00 p.m in Church we are hosting a very special and sacred prayer service called The Rite of Naming & Commendation.  This prayer service has been developed by the Archdiocese of St. Louis to meet the needs of families whose child(ren) died before birth for any reason (including miscarriage, accident, abortion, or stillbirth). Parents and families of any religious background are invited to attend, whether the loss was recent or long ago. The rite will offer parents and families an opportunity to name their child, help bring peaceful closure to great loss, and unite with our merciful God to know that He is with us.  Please join us if you are able to do so.

Many thanks to the children of Elmer and Julia Unnerstall and to Dave & Lucy Tobben for sponsoring last week’s breakfast.  Also, a huge thank you to our volunteers who help to make the breakfast happen every week.  They are a great group and so generously share their time and talent to help us enjoy a really good breakfast!

Next Sunday begins our celebration of Catholic Schools Week!  Our school children will help kick off the celebration by serving in various ministries at the 9:00 Mass next Sunday.  Mass will be followed by a School Open House from after Mass until noon.  All are welcome to come and see our school, talk to our staff, see the projects that our students have worked on, and ask any questions you might have.  Our school is growing and is strong because of the dedicated and talented teachers and staff we have and because of our strong parish support for the school.  We are indeed blessed beyond measure!

Finally, thank you to those who stopped after Mass last Sunday to offer their thoughts about the proposed models for our planning area for the All Things New strategic planning initiative.  It was very helpful to hear your opinions.  Please continue to keep this process in your prayers.

Have a blessed week!  Thank you for your support of our school and parish.

Fr. Mike Boehm

Pastor