Fr. Mike's Message - 01/31/21

Happy Catholic Schools Week!  We have a great week planned - full of activities to highlight the gift of our Catholic School where minds are educated, hearts are nurtured, and faith is strengthened. Our faculty and staff are devoted to helping our students. Our school is one great big family and we come together everyday to help one another in our journey of faith. Thank you for your support of St. Francis Borgia Grade School. Our school has grown over the last few years. With almost 300 students, a tremendous faculty and staff, a strong Principal, dedicated and committed parents, and an extremely supportive Parish Family, we couldn’t be more fortunate. Mrs. Pahl is offering tours of the school all the time. If you know of anyone who might be interested to learn more about our school, please let them know that Mrs. Pahl or I would be happy to talk with or meet with them. We are justifiably proud of our fine school and love to show it off to prospective students and families.
 
This week we will celebrate the Feast of St. Blaise and the Blessing of Throats. The blessing will look a little different this year, but we will still have it. Instead of using the crossed candles, we have been instructed to use a different form for the blessing which will include the words of the traditional blessing of throats offered for all in attendance at the same time in order to take extra precautions to keep each other healthy and safe. I wanted to be sure to let you know ahead of time in order to avoid any confusion on the Feast day itself. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we will offer the Blessing of Throats at the Masses on the weekend of February 6 & 7. As with everything these days, patience is required and appreciated. Thanks for your understanding.
 
Thank you for your kind and supportive words regarding the 2020 SFB Parish Stewardship Report. We work hard everyday to be the best stewards we can be with your donations to the Parish. I rely on our Finance Committee for guidance and they have been a huge help to me in my first year here as Pastor. In fact, we have a meeting this week. Once again, thank you for your support of the Parish. We couldn’t do it without you.
 
Stewardship Opportunity:  Encore is in need of volunteers for working at the shop. Volunteering at Encore is a great service for our parish and for the community. People come from all over to purchase clothes at discounted prices, which is especially helpful when they are trying to make ends meet. Our volunteers work to sort and stock clothing...no heavy lifting required...and offer a kind word and a smile to our patrons. The proceeds from the sales at Encore help our parish to continue it’s many ministries that touch hearts and make a difference in our area of the world. If you can work a shift (3-½ hours) or two a month, please call Leanne Aholt (636.239.5059) for more information about volunteering for this wonderful ministry or for any questions you might have. Thanks for your consideration and for praying about this opportunity.