Fr. Mike's Message - 07/18/2021

This weekend we welcome Fr. Daniel McCaffrey as part of the Archdiocesan Missionary Plan of Cooperation.  Though this program took a hiatus last summer due to Covid, this is an annual event by which we learn about our Church’s missionary efforts throughout the world. Central to the Missionary Plan of Cooperation, missionaries share their experiences in parishes throughout the Archdiocese and appeal for our support of the mission work that is at the heart of who we are as Christians and as Catholics.  Our Catholic Church has a rich history of mission work from the beginning and we continue those efforts today throughout the world in an effort to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to every part of the world.  
 
Father Daniel McCaffrey, a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, was ordained in 1958. A year later he departed for the Muslim country of Pakistan where he served for over eight years as a missionary. Father holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelican) in Rome. In 1968, during the Vietnam Conflict Father joined the United States Army Chaplain Corps. During more than twenty years of active duty he served in Vietnam, Korea, Germany and Honduras, as well as numerous army installations throughout the United States. The collection from our parish this year will go to support the Archdiocese of Lahore in Pakistan where Fr. McCaffrey spent seven years as a missionary. Thank you for your prayers and support of the work of the missions. If you would like to make a donation to support their work, please place your donation in an envelope and indicate on the envelope that it is for the support of the missionaries.  You may put your donation in the collection basket at Mass or drop it off at the parish office over the next few weeks.
 
Next Saturday, July 24th, we will host the members of the Washington Fire Department for their Annual Ladies Night Celebration which will take place in Jesuit Hall in the 3rd Floor Reception Hall.  What an honor to be able to host this as we honor and thank the spouses and friends of our firefighters who support them in this critical mission of keeping our community safe and protected.  Our community has a rich tradition of volunteering, and our firefighters have provided this service voluntarily since 1852.  It’s an honor and privilege for me to be a part of this great group of people.  Thank you for helping to welcome them next Saturday.  We may have a few of them as our guests for the 4:30 p.m. Mass here at SFB.  Please extend to them a word of thanks and encouragement for the service they provide our community.  And please continue to pray for their safety and the safety of all first responders.
 
As a reminder, we would like to convene our Ushers/Greeters, Eucharistic Ministers, and Lectors for a gathering to renew ourselves in these ministries through some prayer and then a quick meeting to review duties associated with each ministry.  Our second and final session will be this Tuesday, July 20th, at 7:00 p.m.  If you are an Usher, Lector, or Eucharistic Minister, we would ask that you attend this session if possible.  If you are interested in becoming a member of one of these ministries, please contact me or the Parish office and we can put you in contact with the coordinator of the ministry in which you are interested.  We are indeed blessed by all who serve our parish in these ways.
 
Next weekend, July 24/25, we will introduce some revised liturgical protocols, mostly to bring back pre-pandemic practices. We will once again have an Offertory Procession. The Ushers/Greeters will be asking people to bring forward the gifts of bread and wine on behalf of the assembly who is gathered at each Mass. Please be open to participating in this way. We will also return to coming forward for Communion via the center aisle and returning via the side aisles. As you may have noticed we have added an additional Communion distribution station in the back of Church near the center doors. The Ushers/Greeters will continue to assist people in the back to approach this station.  Thank you for your cooperation with these things. And thanks for your patience! As time progresses, we will continue to reintroduce other changes, including altar servers.
  
Have a great and blessed week.  Thanks for your support of our parish.