Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
This coming Tuesday, September 25, there will be an open forum regarding the recent State Grand Jury Report.   I know that this terrible scandal of child abuse in our Church has been on all our minds.  This gathering will allow parishioners to express any raw emotions and concerns they may have. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss the response of our local Church to the report and the renewed commitment to provide a safe environment for all our children.  I hope many of you will take the time to come to this important meeting.
 
 
Our religious education program will start up again on Wednesday, September 26 at 6:30 pm in our new parish center.  All parents are asked to come in with their children for an open house and an opportunity to meet the catechists.  At 7:00pm there will be a short informational meeting for all parents in the parish hall.  I’m looking forward to seeing you all there!!
 
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
This weekend we welcome Fr. Peter Lyons, TOR, who will be speaking on behalf of Food For the Poor, Inc. 
 
              With the help of caring friends, Food For the Poor feeds hundreds of thousands of people every day primarily in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.  As a Christian charity, they take their responsibility to be good stewards of the donations they receive seriously.
 
As your personal situations allow, please consider supporting this important ministry to the poor in our own hemisphere.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
              “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”
 
These words from the Letter of St. James seem very simple and yet we know they are very challenging.  It is easy to hear, but much harder to act upon what we have heard.  This requires work, labor, and a full commitment of our will.
 
As we celebrate this Labor Day the great gift of work and the ability to use our God given gifts to build up our human society, we remember that our top priority must always be to build up the kingdom of God in our midst.  If peace, mercy, justice, and compassion are to reign, we must willingly choose them, so that God’s dynamic Word may transform us and our world.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Over the past 4 weeks we have been listening to the Word of God recorded in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel.  We hear that many of Jesus’ disciples found it too difficult to accept what he was telling them.  His proclamation of being the Bread of Life that leads to eternal life, for them, was too good to be true, a step too far.   The 12, however, his closest friends, do not leave him as Peter declares there is nowhere else for them to go.  Jesus has “the words of eternal life” and “they are convinced that [He is] the Holy One of God.”
 
This coming week for many will mark the beginning of another academic year. Students of all ages will be returning to school. Each new year brings its own challenges and at every step we have a choice to invite God in to help us face them or to leave him out.  We must allow Him to be our teacher and faithfully commit ourselves to being His disciples.  The wisdom and peace that we are all looking for can only be found in Him.
 
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
At the end of this week, Craig Alexander, one of our parishioners, will start his formation and studies at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA.  I know he is very excited and I’m sure somewhat nervous about being a student again.  Please, keep Craig in your prayers as he begins his journey as a seminarian for the Diocese of Greensburg.
 
Following the 11:00 Mass this Sunday, August 19, there will be cake and refreshments in the parish hall.  All are welcome to come down to wish Craig, God’s speed and blessings.  We wish him well and thank God, for answering our prayers to provide another vocation from our parish. May there, God willing, be many more in the future.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
As we look forward this week to the Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother into heaven, please add this to prayers.
 
Holy Mother Mary,
we all rejoice with you today
on the feast of your glorious Assumption into heaven.
Long ago in the Garden of Eden,
our first parents, Adam and Eve,
were told that they would have to earn their bread
in the sweat of their brow
and that the earth would be cursed,
bringing forth thorns and thistles.
Now, after Christ our Redeemer has come,
and taught us how to make use of the thorns
and thistles of this life,
and turn them into blessings,
you, like Him,
have been taken up body and soul into heaven.
There, with your Divine Son,
you await our coming,
and prepare a place for us.
Mother Mary,
it is a great comfort to us to realize that your precious body,
the tabernacle of the infant Christ,
is now in heaven with Him.
Your being taken into heaven is also,
like the resurrection of Christ's body,
a pledge to us of the resurrection of our own bodies.
It is wonderful to think that these hands,
with which we earn our bread now in the sweat of our brow,
will, because of the merits of Christ,
one day, with our bodies,
be glorified forever in heaven.
O most pure Virgin Mary,
help us to realize this as we go about our work from day to day.
Help us to have great respect for these bodies of ours,
and for those of others because we recognize in them
the temple of the Holy Spirit,
and because we look forward to seeing each other,
body and soul, with you and
your Son Jesus Christ forever in heaven.
 
Amen.
 
Peace, Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Imagine being among the Israelites wandering in the desert. For generations they had lived in Egypt and this was the only home they ever new.  Now they’re crossing the desert and all they can think of is their need for food, water, and a place to sleep. God hears their cry and sends them quail and manna. Moses declares to them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” 
 
Like the Israelites we all face desert experiences from time to time when we are overcome by doubt and all seems lost.  In order for us to move forward we need to let go of our old selves and allow God to take us to a better place. The journey there, however, is often challenging or even treacherous.  In our exhaustion we cry out to God for help.
 
God, our Father, answers our prayers in His Son, Jesus Christ.  He offers us His Son in the Eucharist and reminds us that our true treasure, the answer to our cries, can only come from heaven.  This is a gift we cannot earn, but it does require the full assent of our minds, our souls, and our wills. When we trust that God will provide for all our needs, He never disappoints.
 
Peace,
Fr. Steve
 

 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
This weekend it should be easy for all of us to relate to Jesus’ experience related to the feeding of the multitude, which is found in all four Gospels.  Each evangelist tells the story of Jesus being followed by the crowd.
 
On this occasion and others, Jesus is looking for a place to go to where he can find some rest.  He is tired, and anyone in his position would be.  Yet when the throng of people catches up with him he does not become irritable as we might do when we’re tired.  Instead of focusing on his own needs, he addresses the needs of those around him. What can we learn from Jesus example? First, Jesus reminds us that we can trust in Him to be there for us especially during the trials of life.  Second, we have a model for our own actions in a Messiah who continues to serve those around him - no matter what. Our prayer this day should be for the continued strength and grace we need to respond faithfully to those around us even in times of personal pain and exhaustion.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
This weekend we are pleased to welcome Fr. Joe Tuscan, OFM Cap., who will be speaking about the Capuchin Franciscan Missions and how we can help them to spread God’s Word and assist those in need in mission countries.
 
Thank you in advance for your generosity in supporting them in their very important work.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
This coming Tuesday, July 10, we will be settling on the old school/parish center property.  While we are thrilled to have our new parish center facility, I know that the old school, annex, and playground area, have served our parish well since 1958.  Over the past 60 years, students, families, parish organizations, and religious sisters have made these buildings a home, or least a second home.  Many of you have memories you will continue to treasure.
 
The Elizabethtown Area United Churches in conjunction with Echoes are purchasing the property and they look forward to housing various social services to better meet the needs of our entire Elizabethtown community.  We all know how successful the winter shelter has been in providing a warm place for homeless families and individuals.  This will now be relocated into the annex building.
 
May God bless their efforts and may this property be a blessing to many for years to come.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve