Fr. Mike's Message - 02/21/2021 - Saint Francis Borgia

Dear Parishioners,
Welcome to the First Sunday of Lent. As we go through Lent, we are doing a few things to highlight this season at Mass. We will use the Confiteor at the beginning of Mass and we will change up the Holy and the Lamb of God. The music and words for the Holy (Sanctus) and the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) are printed in the bulletins, so please take one as you come into Church. (Note: be sure to take the bulletin with you when you leave.) Some of the decorations in the sanctuary have been simplified to reflect the desired simplicity of this season. Finally, we will end Mass in silence instead of having a recessional song. My hope and prayer for each of us is that these days of Lent might be a time for some focused prayer, reflection, and charitable works.

I want to take this opportunity to introduce the members of our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation) for this year: Marianna Johnston, Lauren Williams, Matt Lotshaw, Tammy Donaldson, Tiffany Emmons, Lori Neier, Andrea Gildehaus, Ed Menefee, Dan Walsh, and the Hight family - Joe, Trish, Skylar, Bryton, and Aurora. What a great group! They have been attracted to the Catholic Church and to St. Francis Borgia for various reasons as the Spirit has touched them in their lives. As they proceed through Lent towards Easter, they are spending time learning about the faith and growing in their relationship with God. Our hope is that at Easter, they will be Baptized and/or Confirmed, receive the Eucharist, and become full members of our Catholic Faith and of our Parish Family. We are very excited to welcome them to St. Francis Borgia. If you see one of them, please extend a warm welcome and assure them of your support and prayers. Weather permitting, they will be in person at the 9:00 a.m. Mass this weekend for the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion. Please pray for them.

How are you doing with your prayer time during Lent? Are you utilizing Formed.org or the Little Black Books for growth in faith and reflection? Are you spending a few extra minutes a day in prayer, whether it’s reading the Scripture readings (https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading), reciting a Rosary, spending time in Adoration on Tuesdays, attending Mass sometime during the week in addition to the weekend (either virtually or in person), quietly praying for a few minutes early in the morning or before bedtime, praying with your children, etc. Let’s not let this time so rich for prayer and reflection pass us by without taking advantage of it.

Don’t forget: On Sundays of Lent at 5:30 p.m., Fr. Tony and I are hosting Evening Prayer and Chat with the Priests on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/borgiaparish). We’d love for you to join us. Spread the word. We pray a little, talk about some significant topics related to faith, and laugh a lot. I think you’ll enjoy it...even Fr. Tony’s corny jokes!

I know many of you have not been physically present at Mass for a while and I fully understand that. Please know I am praying for you and can’t wait to see you back in Church when that is possible. If you are at home and would like a priest or deacon to visit, please call the Parish Office and we will be happy to arrange that with you.

Since we have been encountering some inclement weather due to snow and ice, I want to take another opportunity to remind all of us to exercise extreme caution when coming to Church. While Joe Holtmeier and our maintenance staff do an excellent job with clearing the walks, we don’t always know if it will be possible to get all of it cleared before a morning Mass. This has been especially challenging with the extreme cold and snow. So as you make a decision about whether to come to Church or not, it is better to be safe than sorry. You can always tune into the livestream of the Mass right from the front page of our parish website in the safety of your home.

Fr. Tony and I visit the hospital all the time and there are still people who are seriously ill because of the Coronavirus. Thank you for your efforts to continue to keep each othe

r safe and healthy. We’ve all been doing a great job here at Church wearing masks, maintaining safe distance, and utilizing the hand sanitizer. Let’s keep it up!

Have a great week! Blessings on your Lenten practices.

Fr. Mike Boehm