From the Pastor
November/13/2009
Members of our recently-formed Parish Development Committee will address our own congregation at Masses this weekend concerning our approach to stewardship of our parish. They have been preparing their thoughts (after listening to your ideas and suggestions) on how to better help our parish grow and serve the large number of parishioners and guests that depend on St. Vincent Ferrer for spiritual, emotional and educational sustenance. Knowing how to balance their own stewardship of time, talent and treasure seems to enable them to approach so many of these matters in a collaborative effort, and to advise the Parish Pastoral Council and me on how to put forward a strategic plan of action dealing with our finances and investments for our parish for the next several years. I’m grateful that they not only take an interest, but also the time and energy needed to help us succeed. God bless them, and may they continue to serve us with such a generous and willing spirit.
Congratulations to Heather Hackett and her team of volunteers who sponsored our diocesan-wide Middle School Youth Group Rally this past Saturday. Considering all the preparation and work with our own youth that Heather undertakes, this was no easy feat to host the additional teens that came to enjoy a spiritual uplift with worship and praise music, Holy Mass and a number of other wonderful activities during the day. I hope that all those who participated in the rally will be “spiritually charged” as they return to energize their own parishes and parish youth programs.
Our one act Advent-Christmas musical presentation “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” is rapidly approaching. We will have one performance only, on Sunday afternoon, December 6th at 2:30 P.M. in our church. Our choir and cast have been rehearsing their parts so as to make this a most memorable presentation. We invite you to invite your families to witness this spectacular program in our sanctuary. No tickets will be sold, and no special seating will be reserved. A free-will collection will be taken up that day to assist in defraying the costs. We guarantee you will be moved by the beauty and content of the message contained therein (you may want to bring some Kleenex along!).
We welcome Mother Hedwig Cierpinska and her assistant, Sister Dorothy Baranowska in their official visit to our parish this week. Like all good religious superiors, it’s necessary to go out to the various missions of their congregation periodically to “inquire and inspire.” May they feel most welcome by our hospitality.
Fr. Jimmy’s reception will take place next Sunday in Kelleghan Hall, after he celebrates the 11:30 Mass in our church. This will be a special opportunity to thank him for his service here and to wish him well in his new assignment at St. Joan of Arc Parish. At a special commissioning ceremony this past week, we had several new Altar Servers receive their blessing as servers in our parish. I congratulate them, and especially thank Chris and Susan Grant, as well as Lee and Alice Levenson, who help prepare the new servers and keep watch over them in their service to our parish.
Please keep in your prayerful remembrance Claudia Hilaire, the 29-year old sister of one of our two Haitian seminarians, Wesler Hilaire, who worked here this past summer. She died suddenly, two weeks ago in Haiti. In the past year, Wesler has lost his father and sister, preceded three years earlier by his mother. During all this, he continues to study and to advance toward priestly service in our diocese. May his resolve to be a good priest be strengthened by God’s grace as well as his own efforts to persevere through all the difficulties that he must face.
Next September, I am planning to make the pilgrimage to the Alpine areas of Germany and Austria, to see the famous Passion Play in Oberammergau (given once every 10 years), and to travel the “Sound of Music” tour in and around Salzburg. I hope to include a side trip to the infamous concentration camp at Dachau, the birthplace of Pope Benedict, and several beautiful shrines and other sights in that area. If you are interested in joining in the pilgrimage, please contact me or submit your name through our parish office. The duration of the trip will be about 12 days, depending on how many special side trips we will make. More information will follow.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
Congratulations to Heather Hackett and her team of volunteers who sponsored our diocesan-wide Middle School Youth Group Rally this past Saturday. Considering all the preparation and work with our own youth that Heather undertakes, this was no easy feat to host the additional teens that came to enjoy a spiritual uplift with worship and praise music, Holy Mass and a number of other wonderful activities during the day. I hope that all those who participated in the rally will be “spiritually charged” as they return to energize their own parishes and parish youth programs.
Our one act Advent-Christmas musical presentation “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” is rapidly approaching. We will have one performance only, on Sunday afternoon, December 6th at 2:30 P.M. in our church. Our choir and cast have been rehearsing their parts so as to make this a most memorable presentation. We invite you to invite your families to witness this spectacular program in our sanctuary. No tickets will be sold, and no special seating will be reserved. A free-will collection will be taken up that day to assist in defraying the costs. We guarantee you will be moved by the beauty and content of the message contained therein (you may want to bring some Kleenex along!).
We welcome Mother Hedwig Cierpinska and her assistant, Sister Dorothy Baranowska in their official visit to our parish this week. Like all good religious superiors, it’s necessary to go out to the various missions of their congregation periodically to “inquire and inspire.” May they feel most welcome by our hospitality.
Fr. Jimmy’s reception will take place next Sunday in Kelleghan Hall, after he celebrates the 11:30 Mass in our church. This will be a special opportunity to thank him for his service here and to wish him well in his new assignment at St. Joan of Arc Parish. At a special commissioning ceremony this past week, we had several new Altar Servers receive their blessing as servers in our parish. I congratulate them, and especially thank Chris and Susan Grant, as well as Lee and Alice Levenson, who help prepare the new servers and keep watch over them in their service to our parish.
Please keep in your prayerful remembrance Claudia Hilaire, the 29-year old sister of one of our two Haitian seminarians, Wesler Hilaire, who worked here this past summer. She died suddenly, two weeks ago in Haiti. In the past year, Wesler has lost his father and sister, preceded three years earlier by his mother. During all this, he continues to study and to advance toward priestly service in our diocese. May his resolve to be a good priest be strengthened by God’s grace as well as his own efforts to persevere through all the difficulties that he must face.
Next September, I am planning to make the pilgrimage to the Alpine areas of Germany and Austria, to see the famous Passion Play in Oberammergau (given once every 10 years), and to travel the “Sound of Music” tour in and around Salzburg. I hope to include a side trip to the infamous concentration camp at Dachau, the birthplace of Pope Benedict, and several beautiful shrines and other sights in that area. If you are interested in joining in the pilgrimage, please contact me or submit your name through our parish office. The duration of the trip will be about 12 days, depending on how many special side trips we will make. More information will follow.
Very Rev. Canon Tom