From the Pastor
October/30/2009
Our 10th Annual Auction Night – THE BIG GALA for this year to benefit our school, will be celebrated this Saturday evening. Come join us for a fun evening, and help us reach our goal for the coming year of maintaining and even improving upon the top quality education that our parish school provides for our future generation! Tickets are still available at the parish office. This is a wonderful event that should be a must on the calendar of anyone interested in our kids!
Most of the children in our parish have now received their own Sunday collection envelopes to participate in the third aspect of Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure. Even with quarters or a dollar each week, the money will go a long way to indicate that they are grateful for the various gifts God has bestowed upon them. In this way, they can show that they appreciate the value of these gifts by their support of God’s Church. This form of stewardship goes hand-in-hand with the other two, and is not to be neglected any more than the other forms. Though each one of us should dedicate some of our time and talent to help serve the cause of building up the community of faith here, it also takes our gift of treasure to pay the bills and fund the programs needed to promote this “building up of the Body of Christ in our midst.” That’s why it’s good stewardship on the part of parents to teach their children not just to put money in the envelope, but how to make it a sacrificial offering back to God, who blesses us in so many ways. Likewise, the family gets credit for their annual contributions through the assistance of their children’s offerings.
Father Jimmy will be back for a farewell Mass and reception after he has returned from his next trip to the Holy Land. We have scheduled the party for him following his 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, November 22nd in Kellaghan Hall. I pray that many of you who have benefited by his services to our parish will turn out in good number and join us in bidding him adios!
On November 3rd, our replacement for Fr. Jimmy, Father Michael Parrotta, will officially take up residence in our parish. Father Mike hails from Queens, N.Y., and was ordained for the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota, from which he is now retired. Prior to his priesthood, he had been married, is the father of two sons, and his remaining son lives in the Archdiocese of Miami. Prior to coming here, he was at St. Martin de Porres in Jensen Beach. We welcome him!
Our DSA goal is getting closer to being reached without tapping into the general fund to make up the shortfall. Thank You to each one who has contributed and fulfilled their pledge. Check out the giving thermometer, and let’s try to reach that goal in the Appeal’s remaining few weeks.
Though our Bishop some months earlier issued precautions in avoiding the Swine flu through unnecessary contact during Mass, it’s still good to revisit these precautions every once in a while for the sake of personal safety. You may avoid direct hand contact during the Sign of Peace by just tuning and nodding or giving a wave to your neighbor. The Communion cup containing the Precious Blood still will be withheld from the general populace during this precautionary period of time, and the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are to use the sanitary liquid dispensers found in the sacristy before they administer Holy Communion.
Inside this week’s bulletin are some photos of the closing Mass of our Diocese’s Silver Jubilee celebration. It was a spectacular event, and several of our parishioners had special roles in that event. Many of the diverse ethnic groups that make up our diocese wore beautiful costumes and performed their traditional ceremonial dances on that occasion. The websites of our local media covered the events quite well, and you can still download some of them to your computer.
A special big “THANK YOU” to the members of our Development Committee who made themselves available after all the Masses last weekend to answer questions about our finances after the issuing of the annual financial report. They also handled the rumors that abound when false information or misinformation is carelessly dispensed without checking on the facts.
Mother Jadwiga Cierpinska, Provincial Superior of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in New Jersey (Superior of our Sisters Maria and Dorothy), will be visiting the Sisters and our parish for a week, starting November 13th. It will be the first time since I came to St. Vincent’s four years ago that a Provincial Superior of Sisters teaching in our school came to visit. We welcome Mother Jadwiga (accompanied by another Sister Dorothy)!
November is the Month of the Holy Souls. We will remember our loved ones, especially those who died this past year, in a beautiful way this coming Monday evening, with a Special Mass of Remembrance at 6 p.m. Please consult the bulletin elsewhere for more information.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
Most of the children in our parish have now received their own Sunday collection envelopes to participate in the third aspect of Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure. Even with quarters or a dollar each week, the money will go a long way to indicate that they are grateful for the various gifts God has bestowed upon them. In this way, they can show that they appreciate the value of these gifts by their support of God’s Church. This form of stewardship goes hand-in-hand with the other two, and is not to be neglected any more than the other forms. Though each one of us should dedicate some of our time and talent to help serve the cause of building up the community of faith here, it also takes our gift of treasure to pay the bills and fund the programs needed to promote this “building up of the Body of Christ in our midst.” That’s why it’s good stewardship on the part of parents to teach their children not just to put money in the envelope, but how to make it a sacrificial offering back to God, who blesses us in so many ways. Likewise, the family gets credit for their annual contributions through the assistance of their children’s offerings.
Father Jimmy will be back for a farewell Mass and reception after he has returned from his next trip to the Holy Land. We have scheduled the party for him following his 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, November 22nd in Kellaghan Hall. I pray that many of you who have benefited by his services to our parish will turn out in good number and join us in bidding him adios!
On November 3rd, our replacement for Fr. Jimmy, Father Michael Parrotta, will officially take up residence in our parish. Father Mike hails from Queens, N.Y., and was ordained for the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota, from which he is now retired. Prior to his priesthood, he had been married, is the father of two sons, and his remaining son lives in the Archdiocese of Miami. Prior to coming here, he was at St. Martin de Porres in Jensen Beach. We welcome him!
Our DSA goal is getting closer to being reached without tapping into the general fund to make up the shortfall. Thank You to each one who has contributed and fulfilled their pledge. Check out the giving thermometer, and let’s try to reach that goal in the Appeal’s remaining few weeks.
Though our Bishop some months earlier issued precautions in avoiding the Swine flu through unnecessary contact during Mass, it’s still good to revisit these precautions every once in a while for the sake of personal safety. You may avoid direct hand contact during the Sign of Peace by just tuning and nodding or giving a wave to your neighbor. The Communion cup containing the Precious Blood still will be withheld from the general populace during this precautionary period of time, and the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are to use the sanitary liquid dispensers found in the sacristy before they administer Holy Communion.
Inside this week’s bulletin are some photos of the closing Mass of our Diocese’s Silver Jubilee celebration. It was a spectacular event, and several of our parishioners had special roles in that event. Many of the diverse ethnic groups that make up our diocese wore beautiful costumes and performed their traditional ceremonial dances on that occasion. The websites of our local media covered the events quite well, and you can still download some of them to your computer.
A special big “THANK YOU” to the members of our Development Committee who made themselves available after all the Masses last weekend to answer questions about our finances after the issuing of the annual financial report. They also handled the rumors that abound when false information or misinformation is carelessly dispensed without checking on the facts.
Mother Jadwiga Cierpinska, Provincial Superior of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in New Jersey (Superior of our Sisters Maria and Dorothy), will be visiting the Sisters and our parish for a week, starting November 13th. It will be the first time since I came to St. Vincent’s four years ago that a Provincial Superior of Sisters teaching in our school came to visit. We welcome Mother Jadwiga (accompanied by another Sister Dorothy)!
November is the Month of the Holy Souls. We will remember our loved ones, especially those who died this past year, in a beautiful way this coming Monday evening, with a Special Mass of Remembrance at 6 p.m. Please consult the bulletin elsewhere for more information.
Very Rev. Canon Tom