April 3, 2011
On Monday we celebrate a great Feast Day … the Assumption! It reverences the truth of our Catholic Faith that at the end of her life, Blessed Mother Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven … and was therefore spared the corruption of her body, since by God’s design she had been spared the corruption of Original Sin.
Now because this feast falls on a Monday this year, it does not carry the obligation to attend Mass.
Other than Christmas, if a Holy Day falls on either side of Sunday, the obligation to attend mass is removed. This is done because of the confusion that would result in celebrating the vigil Masses on Saturday evening or Sunday evening … and not being sure if the Mass satisfied the Sunday or the Holy Day obligation … it surely wouldn’t satisfy both!
So while, the feast of the Assumption is a great Holy Day, this year it is not a Holy Day of Obligation.
That being said, this day is still a very special commemoration of the wondrous work of the Father in creating a sinless woman to bear His only Begotten Son and how he spared her from experiencing one of the consequences of sin, which is returning to dust.
So I hope that all Catholics will make the effort to attend Mass on Monday. The children attending our Catholic Schools will attend Mass together during their school day. Parents and Grandparents can certainly attend with them. And other people will be able to choose from one of the regular daily Masses offered around the Diocese.
We will have our normal 6:30 AM Mass here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Plus there’s a 7:30 AM Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows, a 9:00 Mass at St. Peter’s, a Noon Mass at St. Paul’s, and a 5:30 PM Mass at St. Francis Xavier.
With Schools back, our Sunday School program will resume too!
Here are the Catechists who will teach PSR this year.
PSR will begin Sunday, August 28th (9:30 – 10:40 AM)
Prayers and blessings! Love Father Deering
April 10, 2011
Just two weeks until Easter when we will celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death!
Easter Sunday is the highest Solemnity of the year because it affirms the foundation of our faith … that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, died and then rose from the dead … alive in a glorified body … never to die again.
It’s because of this event that we have hope of one day having a resurrected body like Jesus so that we will live on with Him forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The season of Lent helps us prepare for the celebration of Easter. It prompts us to identify and acknowledge the areas of sin and darkness in our lives that will prevent us from being counted among the righteous and living with God forever.
Through prayer and penance, we should spend time repenting of our sins and recommitting ourselves to following the guidance of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
An essential action that we should all take during the Lenten season is to go to Confession. It’s there that the compassionate Jesus is waiting to meet us so that we can be healed of our sins.
Please take sufficient time to examine your conscience and then go and make a worthy confession. This is not just something nice to do … it is a requirement of the Church!
Yes, the Second Precept of the Catholic Church says that every person must go to confession at least once a year. There are no exceptions … everyone must go.
Just as it’s important to be physically healthy … it’s also important to be spiritually healthy too! And the way that we rehabilitate our souls from the wounds of our sins is by confessing them to a Priest and receiving the healing balm of Christ’s mercy.
The Sacrament of Confession will be available at
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church 4 evenings of Holy Week:
Tuesday April 19 at 8:30 PM
Wednesday April 20 at 6:00 PM
Thursday April 21 at8:30 PM
FridayApril 22 at 8:30 PM
Confession will not be offered on Holy Saturday!
Please don’t wait till the last minute. Come, purify your heart and your soul to worthily celebrate the Easter mystery … the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Love, Father Deering
April 3, 2011
You may remember the slogan used some years ago by the Eastman Kodak Company that went,
“Use Kodak film … for the times of your life.”
Most people loved it because most people desire to hold onto the memories of the good times of their past.. I’ve heard of people grabbing their photo albums as they fled their burning house … so precious were the family photos to them.
Well, we will soon have the opportunity to record the times of our life in a beautiful Parish Pictorial!
Professionally compiled by Olin Mills, this bound portfolio will show all families currently attending St. Henry and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
It will be a marvelous keepsake as well as a great help as it will contain the names and addresses of all Parishioners.
And you will receive it absolutely free, along with a free 8” x 10” portrait of your family!
All you have to do is come to the Parish Hall during the days allowed in May and have a personal seating with your family.
With technology being so fast these days, you will immediately get to see the images that were taken and choose which one you’d like to have in the Parish Pictorial.
In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to order additional quantities and sizes for distribution to family and friends.
The “Sign-up” period for this endeavor will run from:
from Saturday / Sunday - April 9 & 10 until Saturday / Sunday – April 29 & May 1
Parishioners will be at tables in the vestibule after those weekend Masses to assist you in making an appointment for your photo seating.
The actual Picture-taking will be done on:May 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25.
Schedules will also be announced so that we can take group shots of our various Parish organizations, such as our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, Servers, Ushers, Knights of Columbus, Ladies Altar Sodality and Parish Council.
I hope that each and every family will participate in this event. Again, there is no cost to you unless you choose to purchase pictures for yourself and what a great choice that will be … those family portraits will please you for years to come. The pictures I have framed of my Mom and Dad in my Rectory were the ones taken at their parish!
May God bless this and all the times of your life!
Love, Father Deering
On Monday we celebrate a great Feast Day … the Assumption! It reverences the truth of our Catholic Faith that at the end of her life, Blessed Mother Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven … and was therefore spared the corruption of her body, since by God’s design she had been spared the corruption of Original Sin.
Now because this feast falls on a Monday this year, it does not carry the obligation to attend Mass.
Other than Christmas, if a Holy Day falls on either side of Sunday, the obligation to attend mass is removed. This is done because of the confusion that would result in celebrating the vigil Masses on Saturday evening or Sunday evening … and not being sure if the Mass satisfied the Sunday or the Holy Day obligation … it surely wouldn’t satisfy both!
So while, the feast of the Assumption is a great Holy Day, this year it is not a Holy Day of Obligation.
That being said, this day is still a very special commemoration of the wondrous work of the Father in creating a sinless woman to bear His only Begotten Son and how he spared her from experiencing one of the consequences of sin, which is returning to dust.
So I hope that all Catholics will make the effort to attend Mass on Monday. The children attending our Catholic Schools will attend Mass together during their school day. Parents and Grandparents can certainly attend with them. And other people will be able to choose from one of the regular daily Masses offered around the Diocese.
We will have our normal 6:30 AM Mass here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Plus there’s a 7:30 AM Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows, a 9:00 Mass at St. Peter’s, a Noon Mass at St. Paul’s, and a 5:30 PM Mass at St. Francis Xavier.
With Schools back, our Sunday School program will resume too!
Here are the Catechists who will teach PSR this year.
PSR will begin Sunday, August 28th (9:30 – 10:40 AM)
Prayers and blessings! Love Father Deering
April 10, 2011
Just two weeks until Easter when we will celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death!
Easter Sunday is the highest Solemnity of the year because it affirms the foundation of our faith … that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, died and then rose from the dead … alive in a glorified body … never to die again.
It’s because of this event that we have hope of one day having a resurrected body like Jesus so that we will live on with Him forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The season of Lent helps us prepare for the celebration of Easter. It prompts us to identify and acknowledge the areas of sin and darkness in our lives that will prevent us from being counted among the righteous and living with God forever.
Through prayer and penance, we should spend time repenting of our sins and recommitting ourselves to following the guidance of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
An essential action that we should all take during the Lenten season is to go to Confession. It’s there that the compassionate Jesus is waiting to meet us so that we can be healed of our sins.
Please take sufficient time to examine your conscience and then go and make a worthy confession. This is not just something nice to do … it is a requirement of the Church!
Yes, the Second Precept of the Catholic Church says that every person must go to confession at least once a year. There are no exceptions … everyone must go.
Just as it’s important to be physically healthy … it’s also important to be spiritually healthy too! And the way that we rehabilitate our souls from the wounds of our sins is by confessing them to a Priest and receiving the healing balm of Christ’s mercy.
The Sacrament of Confession will be available at
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church 4 evenings of Holy Week:
Tuesday April 19 at 8:30 PM
Wednesday April 20 at 6:00 PM
Thursday April 21 at8:30 PM
FridayApril 22 at 8:30 PM
Confession will not be offered on Holy Saturday!
Please don’t wait till the last minute. Come, purify your heart and your soul to worthily celebrate the Easter mystery … the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Love, Father Deering
April 3, 2011
You may remember the slogan used some years ago by the Eastman Kodak Company that went,
“Use Kodak film … for the times of your life.”
Most people loved it because most people desire to hold onto the memories of the good times of their past.. I’ve heard of people grabbing their photo albums as they fled their burning house … so precious were the family photos to them.
Well, we will soon have the opportunity to record the times of our life in a beautiful Parish Pictorial!
Professionally compiled by Olin Mills, this bound portfolio will show all families currently attending St. Henry and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
It will be a marvelous keepsake as well as a great help as it will contain the names and addresses of all Parishioners.
And you will receive it absolutely free, along with a free 8” x 10” portrait of your family!
All you have to do is come to the Parish Hall during the days allowed in May and have a personal seating with your family.
With technology being so fast these days, you will immediately get to see the images that were taken and choose which one you’d like to have in the Parish Pictorial.
In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to order additional quantities and sizes for distribution to family and friends.
The “Sign-up” period for this endeavor will run from:
from Saturday / Sunday - April 9 & 10 until Saturday / Sunday – April 29 & May 1
Parishioners will be at tables in the vestibule after those weekend Masses to assist you in making an appointment for your photo seating.
The actual Picture-taking will be done on:May 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25.
Schedules will also be announced so that we can take group shots of our various Parish organizations, such as our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, Servers, Ushers, Knights of Columbus, Ladies Altar Sodality and Parish Council.
I hope that each and every family will participate in this event. Again, there is no cost to you unless you choose to purchase pictures for yourself and what a great choice that will be … those family portraits will please you for years to come. The pictures I have framed of my Mom and Dad in my Rectory were the ones taken at their parish!
May God bless this and all the times of your life!
Love, Father Deering
.
“From the Pastor’s Desk”
December 19, 2010
Today begins the 4th week of Advent, but it’s not a full week! It actually ends at 4:00 PM on Friday afternoon when we offer the first of our Christmas Masses.
So the time of our Advent preparation is coming to an end and the time of our Christmascelebration is at hand!
We’ll soon rejoice and give thanks to God for sending us thePresent of all presents … His Divine Son, Jesus!
It goes without saying that the Birthday of Jesus is a Holy Dayof Obligation. This means that all Catholics are bound to attend Holy Mass onFriday - Christmas Eve or on Saturday - Christmas Day.
Christmas is the second highest Solemnity of the year, second only to Easter, and gathering at Mass gives us the opportunity to praise and thank God for His Gift in the most powerful way possible … through His Gift, with His Gift and in His Gift … Jesus … truly present on our Altar!
So, make plans now to attend Christmas Mass at any of our four Masses: 4 PM or 8 PM on Friday evening
or 8:30 AM or 11:00 AM on Saturday morning.
The Saints tell us that more souls are released from Purgatory on Christmas Day than on any other day of the year … so special is this day to God the Father. Therefore, remember to pray for all your dearly departed family members and friends on Christmas Day.
Sunday, December 26th, like the other 51 Sundays of the year, also carries the obligation to attend. Come at 8:30 or 11!
This year, January 1st - New Years Day – falls on a Saturday, and while it does not carry the obligation to attend Mass, there couldn’t be a better way in the world to start the New Year of 2011 off rightthan to attend Mass on thisday - theSolemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
A New Years Eve Mass will be offered at 5 PM on Friday plus two Masses at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM on Saturday morning.
Sunday, January 2nd, carries the normal obligation to attend and Masses will be offered at 8:30 and 11:00 AM.
May the happiness that the Shepherds knew on that First Christmas Day be with you and yours all throughout the Christmas Season.
Merry Christmas! Father Deering
“From the Pastor’s Desk”
December 12, 2010
Can you believe it …we’re just 13 days from Christmas!
Soon schools will be closed, some plants will be on shut-down and many people will take some time off for vacation.
It seems that this would be the perfect time, to really slow down and reflect up on your life. How is it going? Are you living in accord with your priorities or do changes need to be made in your life?
In just 20 days we’ll roll into a New Year … the customary time to begin to live the way we really want to live and to fulfill the various resolutions we’ve made.
So I’d like to leave you with some encouragement given by our Holy Father, Benedict XVI, reminding us that we are a people of hope and that we are called to become hope for the Church and for the world.
Pope Benedict says, “hope is a recognition of the ongoing need for salvation.” In other words, we’re not supposed to just sit still and await the Lord as some beautiful decoration for a world already saved. Rather, we’re to actively participate in the work of guiding others to salvation in Jesus Christ.
The goal is God … for us and for all!
And that should certainly be our top priority as we go forward into the New Year.
Ask yourself, “What can I do differently that will enrich my relationship with Jesus?”
And at the same time, contemplate how you can be an instrument in helping others to begin or to renew their relationship with Jesus.
I have a feeling that many of you have family members and friends who are estranged from or separated from the Catholic Church for one reason or another.
Now would be a particularly good time to invite them to come back home!
Christmas is a time where many people feel the call to be back in Church.
So, please pray for the courage and the words to invite your family and friends to come and be reconciled with the Church.
Encourage them to start the New Year out right by meeting with their Parish Priest and charting a course to bring them back into the Sacramental life of the Church.
As Pope John Paul II predicted … these days ahead will be a New Springtime for the Church … that we can assist by participating in the New Evangelization of Christians.
God bless you!
Love Father Deering
“From the Pastor’s Desk”
December 5, 2010
Two weeks ago we had our final Special Collection for this year … it was for the Church in Latin America.
You good people of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish contributed $ 741.00 to assist the Church there.
How proud I am of your charitable giving! Thank you for the monetary help you provided for our brothers and sisters in Latin America … may God reward you for your generosity.
Each and every time that you use your individually numbered Offertory Envelopes, including those marked for a Special Collection, our office staff is able to record your donation in the file of your total annual giving to the Church.
Then throughout the year and certainly at the end of the year, we are able to provide you with an itemized listing of all of your financial contributions to the Church.
This statement assists many Parishioners in preparing their Income Taxes and it helps all of us to see if we are truly giving back to God the portion of our wages that He requests, which is between 5% and 10% of your income (with the total given to Church and Charity equaling 1/10 of your earnings).
While this is not easy to do … it’s the right thing to do.
Tithing is the way we thank God for the other 90% of our income that we get to spend as we wish.
Over the next 3 weekends, I ask that you pick up your box of 2011 Offertory Envelopes from the tables in our Vestibule where they are alphabetically arranged.
Please use the proper envelopes each week so that we can accurately record your donations to the Church.
Keep the box of envelopesin your car if you must so that you’re sure to have them each time you come to Mass!
Faithfully placing your checks into your Offertory Envelopes, instead of throwing them loose into the collection really helps our secretaries record your donations.
Without an envelope, we have to make a photocopy of your check (as a record in place of your envelope) and then we have to look up your Envelope Number so we can properly key your donation into our Contribution Database.
While we greatly appreciate your donations, loose checksrequire extra steps for us to properly record your offering.
That’s why we go to the expense of printing and providing Offertory Envelopes … they help us to rapidly and accurately record your monetary contributions.
So please pick up your 2011 Offertory Envelopes and use them every week!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
May God bless you always,
Love, Father Deering
“From the Pastor’s Desk”
November 28, 2010
As Thanksgiving weekend comes to an end, we also mark the end of the Church’s Liturgical Calendar.
Today, we begin a newLiturgical year as we enter into the holy season of Advent … that 4-week period of preparation for the great celebration of Christmas, the Birthday of our Lord!
There is a 2-fold purpose to the season of Advent:
First, it is the time where we reflect on the significance of Christ’s first coming … when He came into our world as a newborn baby in the little town of Bethlehem some 2010 years ago.
Second, it is a time where we prepare ourselves for Christ’s second coming … whenHe comesat the end of time.
Advent is a season of devout yet joyful expectation!
I do hope that in the midst of all the excitement of shopping and celebrating, you will use the Advent season to draw closer to Jesus in prayer, especially in … the Mass!
Please make the effort to attend 6:30 Morning Mass on one or more days a week during the 4 weeks of Advent!
This little sacrifice to get up and get going earlier will have infinite value … both for you and for those whom you pray for during Mass.
The one weekday that you are obliged to attend Mass is on Wednesday, December the 8th, which is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and a Holy Day of Obligation.
To assist you in fulfilling your obligation to attend Mass for this Holy Day, a Vigil Mass will be offered Tuesday evening, December 7th at 7 PM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Mass will also be offered Wednesday December 8th at:
6:30 AM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and
7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Fulfilling your Holy Day obligation will not only bring you much grace, but it will give you the chance to experience how wonderful and effective it is to attend Mass at least one additional day each week!
May God bless you in your Advent preparation!
Prayers and blessings.
Love, Father Deering
“From the Pastor’s Desk”
November 14, 2010
Well, the news is out! Yes, if you’ve seen the back page of last week’s “One Voice” newspaper, then you’ve seen the results of the 2011 Catholic Charities Pledge Drive.
The performance of all 73 Parishes of the Diocese is shown in regard to the monies paid or pledged to the Drive.
Here are the numbers for our two parishes:
2011 Pledge Drive
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Goal: $ 22,902
Paid or Pledged: $ 76,438
St. Henry
Goal: $ 8,983
Paid or Pledged: $ 23,570
Total of Both Parishes $100, 008
Wow! How proud I am of you! Time and time again you demonstrate your generosity and your concern for others in a real tangible way.
Bothparishesfar exceededtheir goal … whichis a powerful expression of your desire to help the poor and the needy throughout the Diocese of Birmingham!
Interestingly enough, these wonderful results were achieved with only 52% of families participating at each Parish.
Even in the midst of our current economic recession, you good people gave and pledged alms to the needy!
This shows your understanding that while we belong to a Parish Church, we are also part of a bigger Church, namely the Diocesan Church, and that we have the duty to help them in their needs.
My sincere thanks go to all of you who paid or pledged to Catholic Charities for the year 2011.
And to those of you who did not participate, please know that your payment or pledge will still be accepted and will be greatly appreciated.
Every dollar helps to feed and clothe and care for the less fortunate throughout our Diocese.
Please decide on your level of participation and fill out a Pledge Card in the vestibule of the Church and drop it into the collection basket.
One thing is for sure, you’ll experience great satisfaction in knowing that you’re helping others receive their most basic needs … food, clothing, shelter and medical help.
May God bless you for your kindness and generosity to others.
Love and prayers,
Father Deering
“From the Pastor’s Desk”
Ever wonder why the School Year begins August 9th?
It’s because every time you turn around the School System is taking another break from teaching!
They keep saying that they need to start in early August to get the required 185 days into the School Year. But they don’t tell you that that they could do it in 9 months instead of 10!
Isn’t it interesting that the Chicago Public School System begins their classes the day after Labor Day (Sept. 7th) and they end the Friday after Memorial Day (June 3rd). They too give students 185 days of instruction … they just don’t take all the days off that are taken in the South.
Here we have Spring Break, Fall Break, a long Christmas Break, numerous Holidays, Teacher In-service days, and the latest one…a whole week off for Thanksgiving!
It used to be that Thanksgiving Thursday plus the following Friday was an adequate break for this American celebration. But now they give our kids the whole week off!
As a former teacher at John Carroll and the current instructor of our Wednesday night High School PSR class, I can’t tell you how disruptive this is. These frequent breaks in the schedule really interrupt the continuity of instruction, making it difficult for both the Teachers and the Students.
Just this past week, the kids missed class Wednesday night because schools were out for Veterans Day.
The old joke used to be that the 3 greatest reasons to be a Teacher were: June, July and August! Those were the days, (still available in some School Districts) where Teachers and Students had three months of vacation instead of two.
In light of this situation, I wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving early as the odds are that many families will take the Thanksgiving week to go away on vacation.
Wherever you are, I do hope that you will take time to reflect on the real meaning of the Thanksgiving Holiday and to thank God for the lavish blessings He has bestowed upon our Land and our People.
If you stay in town, I invite you to attend Mass offered on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th at 8 AM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. You’ll be out by 8:30 and free to go on your way to travel or visit or prepare your own Thanksgiving meal for your family.
This is one Holiday worth taking off … may God continue to bless us with His protection and care.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love, Father Deering
“From the Pastor’s Desk”
November 7, 2010
Sad but true, there’s a phenomenon that commonly occurs in many people’s lives on their journey of faith where they fall into what’s called “The Valley of Spiritual Death”.
This is that period where kids leave forcollege and at the same time they leave their faith behind … and then they don’t reclaim it again until they are either about to get married, or they have children, or they see their kids ready to receive First Communion.
Here’s the Timeline of the average Catholic:
Marriage
Confirmation
Communion
Baptism
Valley of Spiritual Death (age 18 – 28)
Now regarding this phenomenon, here are some amazing gallop poll statistics:
In families where only the Mompracticed her faith, approximately 45% of children will get back on the road to Heaven.
In families where the Dadpracticed his faith, (whether or not the Mom did), 95% of children get back on the road to Heaven.
***** That’s a 50% difference! *****
You see, God’s design is that the Husband is the spiritual head of the family. So it’s his responsibility to guide and guard his wife and children all the way home to heaven.
And when he doesn’t fulfill his role, by faithfully attending Mass on Sunday, he actually jeopardizes the salvation of his whole family!
Based on actual data, kids are 50% more likely to maintain their relationship with God if their Dad goes to church than if he does not!
So, Men, please recognize the great responsibility that you have.
If you have chosen the Marriage vocation and are blessed with children, you must persist in faithfully modeling your Catholic faith so that your children will remain on the road to Heaven.
And, Ladies, for those of you, who have husbands not attending Church with you & your kids, remind them of their God-given duty to the family and of the above painful statistics.
God has a plan and when we follow the plan, we flourish!
The 3rd Commandment of His Plan is Keep holy the Lord’s Day. All of us, especially Fathers, need to follow God’s command so that they & their children will flourish in this life and attain Eternal Life.
May God bless you to be steadfast in your faith!
Love, Father Deering
November 7, 2010
Sad but true, there’s a phenomenon that commonly occurs in many people’s lives on their journey of faith where they fall into what’s called “The Valley of Spiritual Death”.
This is that period where kids leave forcollege and at the same time they leave their faith behind … and then they don’t reclaim it again until they are either about to get married, or they have children, or they see their kids ready to receive First Communion.
Here’s the Timeline of the average Catholic:
Marriage
Confirmation
Communion
Baptism
Valley of Spiritual Death (age 18 – 28)
Now regarding this phenomenon, here are some amazing gallop poll statistics:
In families where only the Mompracticed her faith, approximately 45% of children will get back on the road to Heaven.
In families where the Dadpracticed his faith, (whether or not the Mom did), 95% of children get back on the road to Heaven.
***** That’s a 50% difference! *****
You see, God’s design is that the Husband is the spiritual head of the family. So it’s his responsibility to guide and guard his wife and children all the way home to heaven.
And when he doesn’t fulfill his role, by faithfully attending Mass on Sunday, he actually jeopardizes the salvation of his whole family!
Based on actual data, kids are 50% more likely to maintain their relationship with God if their Dad goes to church than if he does not!
So, Men, please recognize the great responsibility that you have.
If you have chosen the Marriage vocation and are blessed with children, you must persist in faithfully modeling your Catholic faith so that your children will remain on the road to Heaven.
And, Ladies, for those of you, who have husbands not attending Church with you & your kids, remind them of their God-given duty to the family and of the above painful statistics.
God has a plan and when we follow the plan, we flourish!
The 3rd Commandment of His Plan is Keep holy the Lord’s Day. All of us, especially Fathers, need to follow God’s command so that they & their children will flourish in this life and attain Eternal Life.
May God bless you to be steadfast in your faith!
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
October 10, 2010
There’s a profound passage in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus says in Chap. 22: 31 :
“Have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead, but of the living."
Think of what that means! When Jesus spoke those words, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been long gone from this world. Having died some 1800 years before Jesus came, they were considered dead to this world and yet, they were not dead to God!
Jesus says, God is the God of the living. And Jesus says God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore those men must be alive to God in eternity.
Indeed, of all the descriptors we have of God, one of the most foundational descriptors of all is that … God is Life!
Yes, God is life!
God brings us tolife, sustains us in this earthly life and provides us with EternalLife.
Who is God? God is Life!
And that’s why we His people, made in His image, must be people of life.
Why does the Church continue to speak of this ?
Because sadly we are surrounded by a culture of death.
We are living in a time where disrespect for human life is at an all time high, with wars occurring in many parts of the world, with murders occurring in all of our major cities and with abortions being done under the protection of the law.
What’s particularly sinister about abortions is that they’re not being done in the street where they are visible, they are being done in secrecy in supposed health care clinics and women’s centers.
The order of magnitude of these hidden murders is staggering … with some 42 Million abortions being done per yearworldwide, and 1.3 Million abortions being done per year here in America!
This is in direct opposition to the law of the God of Life who etched in stone as His Fifth Commandment, “Thou Shalt not Kill.”
As people of God and people of Life, we can never stop trying to replace this world’s Culture of Death with a Culture of Life.
So as we continue through this special month of October devoted to Respecting Life, and through this special 40 Days for Life, please pray and participate to the best of your ability in activities that will further the cause of Life.
This includes showing up at our Pro-Life Rally in Fultondale this Sunday afternoon, attending the Her Choice BanquetTuesday evening, October 19th, and returning your Baby Bottle filled with money.
Let’s stand up together … for our God who is Life.
Love, Father Deering
October 10, 2010
There’s a profound passage in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus says in Chap. 22: 31 :
“Have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead, but of the living."
Think of what that means! When Jesus spoke those words, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been long gone from this world. Having died some 1800 years before Jesus came, they were considered dead to this world and yet, they were not dead to God!
Jesus says, God is the God of the living. And Jesus says God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore those men must be alive to God in eternity.
Indeed, of all the descriptors we have of God, one of the most foundational descriptors of all is that … God is Life!
Yes, God is life!
God brings us tolife, sustains us in this earthly life and provides us with EternalLife.
Who is God? God is Life!
And that’s why we His people, made in His image, must be people of life.
Why does the Church continue to speak of this ?
Because sadly we are surrounded by a culture of death.
We are living in a time where disrespect for human life is at an all time high, with wars occurring in many parts of the world, with murders occurring in all of our major cities and with abortions being done under the protection of the law.
What’s particularly sinister about abortions is that they’re not being done in the street where they are visible, they are being done in secrecy in supposed health care clinics and women’s centers.
The order of magnitude of these hidden murders is staggering … with some 42 Million abortions being done per yearworldwide, and 1.3 Million abortions being done per year here in America!
This is in direct opposition to the law of the God of Life who etched in stone as His Fifth Commandment, “Thou Shalt not Kill.”
As people of God and people of Life, we can never stop trying to replace this world’s Culture of Death with a Culture of Life.
So as we continue through this special month of October devoted to Respecting Life, and through this special 40 Days for Life, please pray and participate to the best of your ability in activities that will further the cause of Life.
This includes showing up at our Pro-Life Rally in Fultondale this Sunday afternoon, attending the Her Choice BanquetTuesday evening, October 19th, and returning your Baby Bottle filled with money.
Let’s stand up together … for our God who is Life.
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
October 3, 2010
I can’t seem to walk by either of our churches without thanking God again and again for all that we have in our two Parishes.
To begin with, we have you, the people of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Henry … who routinely demonstrate that you are people of faith, people of hope, and people of love.
These are very attractive, empowering and contagious virtues, which is why our 2 parishes continue to grow both in size and in involvement.
We saw this in a very visible way two Sundays ago at the Annual Spaghetti Dinner that was hosted by the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Ladies Altar Sodality. This, their annual fund raiser, was extremely well supported by both parishes!
This was certainly God’s plan for his Church … that it would be the community where people would come together to share in a very real way in the task of building up the Kingdom of God on earth.
In addition to our wonderful people, we are also blessed to have very beautiful Church grounds on which to gather … we have magnificent churches, functional parish halls and plenty of room to grow.
So, in gratitude to God and to you, I hope you will be able to come together to enjoy good food and friendship at individual Parish Appreciation Lunches over the next two weeks.
The parishioners of St. Henry parish are invited to gather after Mass next Sunday, October 10th, in their Parish Hall to enjoy Chicken Fingers and all the trimmings. This will be also be the time to wish Deacon Vincent Bresowar a fond farewell as his 5-month Summer Internship with us comes to a close.
The parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish are invited to gather after Mass on Sunday October 17th in their Parish Hall to enjoy food and refreshments and also acknowledge Deacon Vincent for his 5 months of service to us.
Please plan to attend your individual parish event. We are family … Parish Family! And the unity that we enjoy reflects the unity of God, who is three Persons in one God. We are many members, each with our own gifts and our own vocations, yet we are one in the Church, which is the mystical Body of Christ on earth.
May God in His goodness continue to guide us and guard us as we work together to build the Kingdom of God on earth.
Love, Father Deering
October 3, 2010
I can’t seem to walk by either of our churches without thanking God again and again for all that we have in our two Parishes.
To begin with, we have you, the people of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Henry … who routinely demonstrate that you are people of faith, people of hope, and people of love.
These are very attractive, empowering and contagious virtues, which is why our 2 parishes continue to grow both in size and in involvement.
We saw this in a very visible way two Sundays ago at the Annual Spaghetti Dinner that was hosted by the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Ladies Altar Sodality. This, their annual fund raiser, was extremely well supported by both parishes!
This was certainly God’s plan for his Church … that it would be the community where people would come together to share in a very real way in the task of building up the Kingdom of God on earth.
In addition to our wonderful people, we are also blessed to have very beautiful Church grounds on which to gather … we have magnificent churches, functional parish halls and plenty of room to grow.
So, in gratitude to God and to you, I hope you will be able to come together to enjoy good food and friendship at individual Parish Appreciation Lunches over the next two weeks.
The parishioners of St. Henry parish are invited to gather after Mass next Sunday, October 10th, in their Parish Hall to enjoy Chicken Fingers and all the trimmings. This will be also be the time to wish Deacon Vincent Bresowar a fond farewell as his 5-month Summer Internship with us comes to a close.
The parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish are invited to gather after Mass on Sunday October 17th in their Parish Hall to enjoy food and refreshments and also acknowledge Deacon Vincent for his 5 months of service to us.
Please plan to attend your individual parish event. We are family … Parish Family! And the unity that we enjoy reflects the unity of God, who is three Persons in one God. We are many members, each with our own gifts and our own vocations, yet we are one in the Church, which is the mystical Body of Christ on earth.
May God in His goodness continue to guide us and guard us as we work together to build the Kingdom of God on earth.
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
September 26, 2010
Why did God establish Tithing? He did it for 2 reasons … so that we keep God the #1 priority on our lives, and so that His Church is sustained financially.
“Tithing” refers to giving “one-tenth” of our income to God in appreciation for the income we receive to sustain ourselves.
How exactly do we give part of our income to God? We give it to the Church … the visible household of God on earth.
Setting aside 1/10 of our pay to be given to the Church is a constant reminder of the priority that God is to have in our lives as well as being a powerful sign of our gratitude for all the blessings that God showers upon us, particularly the ability to be able to work and generate an income to provide for ourselves and our families.
Now in these days of seemingly constant requests for money,
I hope that you will reserve a special place in your heart for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Birmingham!
It is this Charity that provides funding for most all of the Catholic Church’s ministries throughout the northern half of the State of Alabama!
Whether it’s:
providing food and clothing to the poor through one of our many Catholic Centers of Concern, or
offering professional counseling to troubled family members at Catholic Family Services, orpaying Tuition, Room & Board for our Seminarians in study for the Priesthood, orcaring for our senior Priests in the St. John Vianney Retirement Home …The Diocese of Birmingham is able to do these things and many more with the funds donated to Catholic Charities.
One model of Tithing that works well for many people, including myself, is that of giving 1% of one’s income to Catholic Charities.Then if people direct 5% of their income to their Parish, they still have the other 4% of their Tithe to direct to the charities of their choice.Please take this week to pray about the level of contribution that you might make to Catholic Charities over the next year. Your financial support will be put to good use and be greatly appreciated!
Wishing you all of God’s blessings,.
Love, Father Deering
September 26, 2010
Why did God establish Tithing? He did it for 2 reasons … so that we keep God the #1 priority on our lives, and so that His Church is sustained financially.
“Tithing” refers to giving “one-tenth” of our income to God in appreciation for the income we receive to sustain ourselves.
How exactly do we give part of our income to God? We give it to the Church … the visible household of God on earth.
Setting aside 1/10 of our pay to be given to the Church is a constant reminder of the priority that God is to have in our lives as well as being a powerful sign of our gratitude for all the blessings that God showers upon us, particularly the ability to be able to work and generate an income to provide for ourselves and our families.
Now in these days of seemingly constant requests for money,
I hope that you will reserve a special place in your heart for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Birmingham!
It is this Charity that provides funding for most all of the Catholic Church’s ministries throughout the northern half of the State of Alabama!
Whether it’s:
providing food and clothing to the poor through one of our many Catholic Centers of Concern, or
offering professional counseling to troubled family members at Catholic Family Services, orpaying Tuition, Room & Board for our Seminarians in study for the Priesthood, orcaring for our senior Priests in the St. John Vianney Retirement Home …The Diocese of Birmingham is able to do these things and many more with the funds donated to Catholic Charities.
One model of Tithing that works well for many people, including myself, is that of giving 1% of one’s income to Catholic Charities.Then if people direct 5% of their income to their Parish, they still have the other 4% of their Tithe to direct to the charities of their choice.Please take this week to pray about the level of contribution that you might make to Catholic Charities over the next year. Your financial support will be put to good use and be greatly appreciated!
Wishing you all of God’s blessings,.
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
September 19, 2010
There’s a marvelous organization that is called the Coming Home Network. It’s headed up by Marcus Grodi, a former Protestant Pastor who converted to the Catholic faith.
As a result of his conversion, Marcus wanted to offer resources to other men who had to make the transition from being paid as a Pastor for preaching to people in the pews to losing that income and simply be a Catholic in the pew.
So far, 964 Protestant Pastors have made their journey into the Catholic Church and another 839 are still somewhere on their journey!
Where are they going? They’re coming home … home to the Church that Jesus established to be our Home on Earth … the Holy Catholic Church.
Remember how Scott Hahn titled his first book after his conversion to Catholicism … Rome Sweet Home!
The Church, guided by Rome, is indeed home to 1.1 Billion Catholics. And there’s room for many more people. God’s desire is that all people would be one in the oneChurch His Son founded on the rock foundation of Peter.
All of us can play a part in guiding people to come Home.
Beginning on Tuesday, September 28th, we will offer weekly, one-hour classes in the Parish Hallto introduce or reacquaint people with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
At 7:00 PM each Tuesday we will present a different topic about the Church. Then, after some 25 weeks of prayer and study, non-Catholics will have the chance to come into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil Mass in April of 2011.
We will advertise these Classes through our Outdoor Signs and a recurring Ad in the North Jefferson News, and you can personally invite people to attend this instruction.
Perhaps your spouse, your boyfriend, girlfriend, coworker or friend is non-Catholic, or is a non-practicingCatholic. Getting them to attend these classes would be a powerful way for them to discover or re-discover the beauty of the Catholic faith.
Just as Jesus brought some 1000 Protestant ministers home to His Church, He can do the same for your loved ones.
Please hand out an RCIA invitation to everyone you feel might be open to learning about the Catholic faith. Bring them with you or ask them to attendjust one class and judge for themselves if they find value or not.
Also, please invite any “fallen-away” Catholics and encourage them … to come back Home!
Thank you and God bless you,
Father Deering
September 19, 2010
There’s a marvelous organization that is called the Coming Home Network. It’s headed up by Marcus Grodi, a former Protestant Pastor who converted to the Catholic faith.
As a result of his conversion, Marcus wanted to offer resources to other men who had to make the transition from being paid as a Pastor for preaching to people in the pews to losing that income and simply be a Catholic in the pew.
So far, 964 Protestant Pastors have made their journey into the Catholic Church and another 839 are still somewhere on their journey!
Where are they going? They’re coming home … home to the Church that Jesus established to be our Home on Earth … the Holy Catholic Church.
Remember how Scott Hahn titled his first book after his conversion to Catholicism … Rome Sweet Home!
The Church, guided by Rome, is indeed home to 1.1 Billion Catholics. And there’s room for many more people. God’s desire is that all people would be one in the oneChurch His Son founded on the rock foundation of Peter.
All of us can play a part in guiding people to come Home.
Beginning on Tuesday, September 28th, we will offer weekly, one-hour classes in the Parish Hallto introduce or reacquaint people with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
At 7:00 PM each Tuesday we will present a different topic about the Church. Then, after some 25 weeks of prayer and study, non-Catholics will have the chance to come into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil Mass in April of 2011.
We will advertise these Classes through our Outdoor Signs and a recurring Ad in the North Jefferson News, and you can personally invite people to attend this instruction.
Perhaps your spouse, your boyfriend, girlfriend, coworker or friend is non-Catholic, or is a non-practicingCatholic. Getting them to attend these classes would be a powerful way for them to discover or re-discover the beauty of the Catholic faith.
Just as Jesus brought some 1000 Protestant ministers home to His Church, He can do the same for your loved ones.
Please hand out an RCIA invitation to everyone you feel might be open to learning about the Catholic faith. Bring them with you or ask them to attendjust one class and judge for themselves if they find value or not.
Also, please invite any “fallen-away” Catholics and encourage them … to come back Home!
Thank you and God bless you,
Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
September 5
Remember the good old days when communities waited till Labor Day to gather students “Back to School”?
Well, as we celebrate Labor Day this weekend most of our kids have already been back in school for 4 weeks!
The good news is that things seem to be running smoothly in many ways. Our School Bus Program is working very well with Allen Belrose driving 5 of our children to and from St. Rose Academy each day in one van, and Shawn Holly driving 7 children to (and 11 children home from) Our Lady of Sorrows School each day.
The Parents and Grandparents of these kidsare most appreciative of this service that we are providing to help transport their children to and from Catholic school.
On the west side of town, several parents are faithfully meeting every morning to Car-pool their children down to John Carroll Catholic High School in Homewood. They are sharing in the effort and expense that it takes to drive their kids 15 miles from Gardendale to the Highschool.
In addition to distance being an important part of the decision of whether or not to send one’s kids to Catholic school, there is also the element of tuition.
Happily, many parents are making the sacrifices necessary to pay the equivalent of a car payment a month in tuition for each child! I know that God will bless your sacrifices and provide you with many blessings.
Thanks to the generosity of some Parishioners, we were able to help parents pay all or a part of their tuition!
Parents of kids not attending Catholic School are strongly encouraged (and actually obliged) to enroll their kids in their Parish PSR Program.
While the Grade School portion of PSR actually began 2 weeks ago, there’s still room for additional students. Yes, every student attending classes in a Public School should also be attending Religion class at their Parish School!
This is not something that you let your children decide. Many kids don’t want to go to school and yet you send them off every day because you know what’s best for them.
It’s the same regarding their faith formation… it’s an essential part of their education that brings eternal rewards!
Parents and Grandparents please bring your children (from K-5 to 8th Grade) to us on Sunday and register them to receive formal instruction in their Catholic faith.
At 7 PM this Wednesday, September 8th, we will hold our firstPSR class for our High School students. All those attending public schools should attend these classes. And those attending John Carroll are welcome to attend too.
Prayers and blessings! Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
August 29, 2010
Its the weekend attached to the first Monday in September that marks the end of Summer. And it’s also supposed to honor all American workers.
Established 128 years ago, Labor Day was meant to acknowledge the greatness of the men and women who worked hard to make our country run.
And for the first 100 years, Labor Day remained a day off of work for rest and relaxation!
But sadly, greed snuck into the picture as many businesses decided to take advantage of the many consumersoff work that day and now keep their stores open on Labor Day to make more money!
So now, instead of all those store employees being able to take an extra day of rest with their families, they have to do the same thing they do every Monday … work!
It defeats the very reason for the Holiday!
To me, this Holiday is almost as special as Sunday … it’s about giving people rest from their labors. And so I hope that you will refrain from doing any shopping on Sunday or Labor Day.
Just think, if no one bought anything on those days, the stores would close their doors and then all their employees could have the day to themselves!
The thirdweekend of September marks the Annual Spaghetti Dinner that is hosted by the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Ladies Altar Sodality as their major fund-raiser of the year. Please support their care of the church by eating in or carrying out their delicious Spaghetti dinners!
The fourthTuesday of September marks the beginning of our RCIA program where we will once again teach the Catholic faith to all who are interested. Please come and bring a friend!
Wishing you all of God’s blessings.
Love, Father Deering
September 5
Remember the good old days when communities waited till Labor Day to gather students “Back to School”?
Well, as we celebrate Labor Day this weekend most of our kids have already been back in school for 4 weeks!
The good news is that things seem to be running smoothly in many ways. Our School Bus Program is working very well with Allen Belrose driving 5 of our children to and from St. Rose Academy each day in one van, and Shawn Holly driving 7 children to (and 11 children home from) Our Lady of Sorrows School each day.
The Parents and Grandparents of these kidsare most appreciative of this service that we are providing to help transport their children to and from Catholic school.
On the west side of town, several parents are faithfully meeting every morning to Car-pool their children down to John Carroll Catholic High School in Homewood. They are sharing in the effort and expense that it takes to drive their kids 15 miles from Gardendale to the Highschool.
In addition to distance being an important part of the decision of whether or not to send one’s kids to Catholic school, there is also the element of tuition.
Happily, many parents are making the sacrifices necessary to pay the equivalent of a car payment a month in tuition for each child! I know that God will bless your sacrifices and provide you with many blessings.
Thanks to the generosity of some Parishioners, we were able to help parents pay all or a part of their tuition!
Parents of kids not attending Catholic School are strongly encouraged (and actually obliged) to enroll their kids in their Parish PSR Program.
While the Grade School portion of PSR actually began 2 weeks ago, there’s still room for additional students. Yes, every student attending classes in a Public School should also be attending Religion class at their Parish School!
This is not something that you let your children decide. Many kids don’t want to go to school and yet you send them off every day because you know what’s best for them.
It’s the same regarding their faith formation… it’s an essential part of their education that brings eternal rewards!
Parents and Grandparents please bring your children (from K-5 to 8th Grade) to us on Sunday and register them to receive formal instruction in their Catholic faith.
At 7 PM this Wednesday, September 8th, we will hold our firstPSR class for our High School students. All those attending public schools should attend these classes. And those attending John Carroll are welcome to attend too.
Prayers and blessings! Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
August 29, 2010
Its the weekend attached to the first Monday in September that marks the end of Summer. And it’s also supposed to honor all American workers.
Established 128 years ago, Labor Day was meant to acknowledge the greatness of the men and women who worked hard to make our country run.
And for the first 100 years, Labor Day remained a day off of work for rest and relaxation!
But sadly, greed snuck into the picture as many businesses decided to take advantage of the many consumersoff work that day and now keep their stores open on Labor Day to make more money!
So now, instead of all those store employees being able to take an extra day of rest with their families, they have to do the same thing they do every Monday … work!
It defeats the very reason for the Holiday!
To me, this Holiday is almost as special as Sunday … it’s about giving people rest from their labors. And so I hope that you will refrain from doing any shopping on Sunday or Labor Day.
Just think, if no one bought anything on those days, the stores would close their doors and then all their employees could have the day to themselves!
The thirdweekend of September marks the Annual Spaghetti Dinner that is hosted by the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Ladies Altar Sodality as their major fund-raiser of the year. Please support their care of the church by eating in or carrying out their delicious Spaghetti dinners!
The fourthTuesday of September marks the beginning of our RCIA program where we will once again teach the Catholic faith to all who are interested. Please come and bring a friend!
Wishing you all of God’s blessings.
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
August 22, 2010
Ever wonder why our Protestant Brothers and Sisters
know the Bible so well?
They study it!
For Protestants, Sunday is “Church Day”
a day for faith, formation, food & fellowship.
They gather:
in classrooms for Sunday School.
in church for Sunday Service.
in parish halls for Social time.
Now, even though we worship God at Sunday Mass
in a prayer that is second to none,
we Catholicsoften fall short
in spending time studying our faith.
But there’s no reason we can’t do more!
The answer to finding greater comfort and confidence
in understanding and livingour Catholic faith
lies in participating in regular weekly
sessions of instruction.
These sessions are already in place
at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton!
Each Sunday morning, at 9:30 AM,
Adults and Teenagers can gather
downstairs in our Parish Hall
for instruction in our Catholic faith.
At the same time, Grade school children gather in classrooms to formally learn Catholic teachings and Catholic prayers.
Wednesday evenings, at 6:00 PM, beginning Sept. 8th is the time when our High School children gather in the Parish Hall to formally learn Scripture and the teachings of the Church.
All of us have the obligation
to know and live our faith.
The goal of all this is to get to Heaven.
This journey involves both prayer and study.
We pray in Mass;
We study in Class!
Be sure to enroll your children in PSR and please come to our Adult Ed classes on Sunday mornings.
Regardless of your age … study never ends!
Prayers and blessings, Father Deering
August 22, 2010
Ever wonder why our Protestant Brothers and Sisters
know the Bible so well?
They study it!
For Protestants, Sunday is “Church Day”
a day for faith, formation, food & fellowship.
They gather:
in classrooms for Sunday School.
in church for Sunday Service.
in parish halls for Social time.
Now, even though we worship God at Sunday Mass
in a prayer that is second to none,
we Catholicsoften fall short
in spending time studying our faith.
But there’s no reason we can’t do more!
The answer to finding greater comfort and confidence
in understanding and livingour Catholic faith
lies in participating in regular weekly
sessions of instruction.
These sessions are already in place
at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton!
Each Sunday morning, at 9:30 AM,
Adults and Teenagers can gather
downstairs in our Parish Hall
for instruction in our Catholic faith.
At the same time, Grade school children gather in classrooms to formally learn Catholic teachings and Catholic prayers.
Wednesday evenings, at 6:00 PM, beginning Sept. 8th is the time when our High School children gather in the Parish Hall to formally learn Scripture and the teachings of the Church.
All of us have the obligation
to know and live our faith.
The goal of all this is to get to Heaven.
This journey involves both prayer and study.
We pray in Mass;
We study in Class!
Be sure to enroll your children in PSR and please come to our Adult Ed classes on Sunday mornings.
Regardless of your age … study never ends!
Prayers and blessings, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
August 15, 2010
You’ve heard me speak the words of John Paul II before … the words “a new Springtime for the Church”. Well, there’s great evidence today that those words are true because today we witness in our very own Parish the dispatch of two men off to Seminary where they will begin study and formation for the Holy Priesthood!
What a great day for us and for the universal Church!
We need more Priests to serve the growing needs of the Church … so we’ve been praying for more Priests … and now our prayers are being answered before our eyes as these men come forward to enter into full-time prayer and study to further discern God’s call and to prepare for Priestly service.
We see the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in all of this … in that He moved our Holy Father, the Pope, to declare last year to be a Year for Priests. And as a result of all that emphasis, many men heard the call of Christ and are now seeking to follow Him as Religious Leaders of the people.
And not just men … but women too have been awakened to God’s call to dedicated service to the Church. Whereas just last year the Dominican Sisters of Nashville were pleased to welcome 12 new candidates into study for their order, this year they welcomed 28 women into their Convent for study!
Yes, the year emphasizing Religious Vocations formally ended in June … but given the fruit that we realized from our additional prayers … I hope that you will not lighten up one bit in begging God every day for more Priests and Sisters.
First of all, I ask that you pray forall of our Seminariansby name. We will now have 5 men studying for service in the Diocese of Birmingham.
They are: our very own Deacon Vincent Bresowar, who will complete his studies & be ordained a PriestJune 4, 2011.
Then, there’s Doug Vu, who will be ordained a Priest the following year in 2012.
And finally, there’s Wyman Vincent, Beau McMinn and Jim Handerhan … just beginning the formation process.
There are many more men and women needed to serve the Church and they are right here among us. Please pray that they hear the call of God and have the courage to respond to it.
Remember, as a Diocese we need to be sending4 new men off toSeminary formationevery year just in order to replace the many Priests who will be coming off of active service in the next few years.
Encourage your children and your friends to consider the call to Priesthood or Sisterhood and guide them to talk to me or Fr. Rick Chenault -Director of Vocations regarding this.
Prayers and blessings! Love, Father Deering
August 15, 2010
You’ve heard me speak the words of John Paul II before … the words “a new Springtime for the Church”. Well, there’s great evidence today that those words are true because today we witness in our very own Parish the dispatch of two men off to Seminary where they will begin study and formation for the Holy Priesthood!
What a great day for us and for the universal Church!
We need more Priests to serve the growing needs of the Church … so we’ve been praying for more Priests … and now our prayers are being answered before our eyes as these men come forward to enter into full-time prayer and study to further discern God’s call and to prepare for Priestly service.
We see the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in all of this … in that He moved our Holy Father, the Pope, to declare last year to be a Year for Priests. And as a result of all that emphasis, many men heard the call of Christ and are now seeking to follow Him as Religious Leaders of the people.
And not just men … but women too have been awakened to God’s call to dedicated service to the Church. Whereas just last year the Dominican Sisters of Nashville were pleased to welcome 12 new candidates into study for their order, this year they welcomed 28 women into their Convent for study!
Yes, the year emphasizing Religious Vocations formally ended in June … but given the fruit that we realized from our additional prayers … I hope that you will not lighten up one bit in begging God every day for more Priests and Sisters.
First of all, I ask that you pray forall of our Seminariansby name. We will now have 5 men studying for service in the Diocese of Birmingham.
They are: our very own Deacon Vincent Bresowar, who will complete his studies & be ordained a PriestJune 4, 2011.
Then, there’s Doug Vu, who will be ordained a Priest the following year in 2012.
And finally, there’s Wyman Vincent, Beau McMinn and Jim Handerhan … just beginning the formation process.
There are many more men and women needed to serve the Church and they are right here among us. Please pray that they hear the call of God and have the courage to respond to it.
Remember, as a Diocese we need to be sending4 new men off toSeminary formationevery year just in order to replace the many Priests who will be coming off of active service in the next few years.
Encourage your children and your friends to consider the call to Priesthood or Sisterhood and guide them to talk to me or Fr. Rick Chenault -Director of Vocations regarding this.
Prayers and blessings! Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
August 8, 2010
Here’s good news for Grade School Students, school will begin at 9:30 AM instead of 8:00 … on Sundays that is! Yes, Sunday School, known as Parish School of Religion will begin in 2 weeks on August 22nd, and your kids can sleep in a little longer as long as they’re present and ready to go when class begins at 9:30 in our Parish Hall Classrooms.
Registration forms will be mailed out next week to all families that participated in PSR this past school year. Additional forms will be available in Church for those who will begin to attend PSR for the first time.
While many more of our children are now attending Catholic schools, they are still encouraged to attend Sunday School as a way to be united with other Catholic kids in their Parish Church.
My hope is that everyCatholic child is formally instructed in the faith either in a Catholic School or in our Parish School of Religion program or in both! Parents, please make the sacrifice to bring children in public schools to PSR.
How wonderful that more and moreParents are discovering the lasting value of Catholic education. This year we will have a record number of our kids attending one of the 5 Catholic schools in our area.
As a result of my recent plea for people to offer financial aid for students, we now have several thousand dollars available for tuition assistance! If you would like to send your child to Catholic school, but just can’t quite afford the full tuition, let us know and there’s a good chance we can help!
One way that we would like to continue to build our pool of money for the education of our kids is by instituting a recycle program for Aluminum!
I’m asking every household to gather your aluminumcans and food trays into garbage bags and bring them with you on your trip to Church. Simply throw your bags over the new wallconnecting our two sheds together. Then, on a regular basis, we’ll get our youth to crush the cans in our newly installed Can Crusher and finally we will cash them in for money at the rate of some 30 to 60 cents per pound.
This money will be ear-marked for our Children, either through Tuition Assistance or PSR or our Annual Retreats.
Bring all the clean aluminum cans that you can, even those from your place of work. You’ll feel good about recycling and be bringing money to the Church in the process!
Lastly, please make plans to come to the Parish Hall after Mass next Sunday to give a royal send-off to Jim Handerhan and Beau McMinn as they leave to begin Priestly formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Prayers and blessings, Love Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
August 1, 2010
There’s no question that this Summer has been especially hot, with temperatures in the 90’s most every day. That means that we often wear less and lighter clothing in order to stay cool if we have to be outside or in a non air-conditioned area.
The tendency for some has been to dress this way even when coming to Church. And this is where I’d like to ask for your cooperation in upholding the special reverence that we should always afford to Almighty God … which is manifested in a particular way by the way we dress in Church.
As I learned in the workforce:
when we dress up … we think up!
And if there’s one place that we want to think up, literally and figuratively, it’s in God’s Holy House, which is Church!
Now thanks to our powerful air-conditioners, you will always find the temperature in Church to be cool and comfortable. It may be mighty warm walking from your car to the Church, but inside it will be very pleasant. (how many times as a Salesman, I had to carry my suit jacket from the car to the lobby and then put it on once inside because it was so oppressively hot outside!)
The encounter that we have at every Mass is an encounter with the living Lord, who is ever-present in the Tabernacle. And just as you would dress to look your most dignified if you went before a King of a country, I ask you to dress your most dignified each time you come into Church and are present before Jesus, who is the King of all Kings!
For years now, the men and women in service during the Liturgy of the Mass have modeled to you what the appropriate dress for Church should look like. All of our Ushers, and Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers always serve in suits or sport coats or dresses as they perform their role.
And I ask you to come to Mass with a similar level of dignified dress that reverences the fact that we are gathering to hear the word of God in the Scriptures and we are coming forward to receive the Son of Godin Holy Communion.
Reminder signs will be posted in Church to encourage all people who attend Church to wear appropriate attire, which historically has meant … wearing “your Sunday Best”.
Based on the guidance of the Parish Council, appropriate attire would not includeshorts, T-shirts or tank tops, sleevelessblouses or dresses, low-cutblouses or mini-skirts.
Dress for God … and you’ll be dressing for others as well. Casual or revealing clothing may be ok elsewhere, but it is definitely not conducive to praying in God’s Holy House.
I ask you to show how very special it is to be in the presence of God by wearing your Sunday best every Sunday!
Thank you and God bless you, Father Deering
August 1, 2010
There’s no question that this Summer has been especially hot, with temperatures in the 90’s most every day. That means that we often wear less and lighter clothing in order to stay cool if we have to be outside or in a non air-conditioned area.
The tendency for some has been to dress this way even when coming to Church. And this is where I’d like to ask for your cooperation in upholding the special reverence that we should always afford to Almighty God … which is manifested in a particular way by the way we dress in Church.
As I learned in the workforce:
when we dress up … we think up!
And if there’s one place that we want to think up, literally and figuratively, it’s in God’s Holy House, which is Church!
Now thanks to our powerful air-conditioners, you will always find the temperature in Church to be cool and comfortable. It may be mighty warm walking from your car to the Church, but inside it will be very pleasant. (how many times as a Salesman, I had to carry my suit jacket from the car to the lobby and then put it on once inside because it was so oppressively hot outside!)
The encounter that we have at every Mass is an encounter with the living Lord, who is ever-present in the Tabernacle. And just as you would dress to look your most dignified if you went before a King of a country, I ask you to dress your most dignified each time you come into Church and are present before Jesus, who is the King of all Kings!
For years now, the men and women in service during the Liturgy of the Mass have modeled to you what the appropriate dress for Church should look like. All of our Ushers, and Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers always serve in suits or sport coats or dresses as they perform their role.
And I ask you to come to Mass with a similar level of dignified dress that reverences the fact that we are gathering to hear the word of God in the Scriptures and we are coming forward to receive the Son of Godin Holy Communion.
Reminder signs will be posted in Church to encourage all people who attend Church to wear appropriate attire, which historically has meant … wearing “your Sunday Best”.
Based on the guidance of the Parish Council, appropriate attire would not includeshorts, T-shirts or tank tops, sleevelessblouses or dresses, low-cutblouses or mini-skirts.
Dress for God … and you’ll be dressing for others as well. Casual or revealing clothing may be ok elsewhere, but it is definitely not conducive to praying in God’s Holy House.
I ask you to show how very special it is to be in the presence of God by wearing your Sunday best every Sunday!
Thank you and God bless you, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
July 25, 2010
Before every Mass, the Altar Servers, the Lector and Isay a prayer in the Sacristy to prepare us to participate in this most holy encounter with God and to ask that our hearts be open to receive every grace and blessing He wants us to have.
Then, after every Mass, the Altar Servers and I pause for a moment in the Vestibule to say a prayer of thanks to God the Father for the privilege of hearing His word and receiving His Son in Holy Communion.
To be in God’s House, where we are so close to Him in theScriptures, theEucharistic PrayerandHoly Communion
is a mighty privilege indeed.
And therefore it’s important that everyone who enters God’s House, not just the Priest and his attendants, remind themselves of the privilege and blessing that it is to be there.
So, I ask all of you to whisper prayers before and after Mass to request and thank God for His many blessings.
The communal worship that we celebrate as the Mass is meant to draw all the faithful into full, conscious and active participation.
This means that everyone would listen attentively to the prayers prayed, the readings proclaimed and the homily preached.
It also means that all would lend their voices to reciting the communal Prayers such as the Penitential Prayer, the Creed and the Lords Prayer as well as allthe Responses such as “And also with you” and “Amen”.
It’s then that we “get the most value out of the Mass” … which is what all people are seeking.
A way to take your participation in the Mass to an even higher level of involvement is to serve in one of the following roles: Altar Server, Lector, ExtraordinaryMinister of Holy Communion,Usher or Gift Bearer.
Please consider serving in one of these roles and give a call to the Office if you would be willing to be trained and scheduled to serve your Parish family in one of these roles.
The one role that does not require training or scheduling is that of Gift Bearer. Our Ushers try to select a different family each week for this important role. Consider it an honor.
The Family that brings the gifts of bread and wine to the Altar represents all of the people present at that Mass!
Please remember to pray before and after Mass and be fully and actively engaged` in celebrating every Mass.
May the countless blessings of every Mass be yours!
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
July 18, 2010
I have some good news to share … this year we’ll have 13 of our children attending Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Grade School in Homewood. That’s an increase of 4 students over last year!
Another 5 of our children will attend St. Rose Academy in Birmingham. That’s an increase of one!
Two of our children will continue at John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham along with 3 new incoming Freshmen!
And 5 of our children will continue at St. Bernard Prep School in Cullman along with one incoming Freshman!
Parents today are coming to recognize the benefits of providing their children with a Catholic education and they are making the sacrifices needed to send them to Catholic schools.
This is no small thing because there is a definite financial investment required to fund Catholic School tuition.
Round numbers, here’s the cost at our local schools:
Our Lady of Sorrows $4,000
St. Rose Academy$5,000
John Carroll Catholic$6,000
Tuition is normally paid each month over the 10-month school year which means paying $400, $500 or $600 a month.
While that’s equal to another car payment a month, the benefits that will be realized by our children will far outweigh the benefits provided by a car.
Cars will never go to Heaven … children do!
I know that there are many other Parents in our Parish who would love to send their children to a Catholic School but are unable to provide the full amount of the required tuition.
Therefore, I ask you to pray and consider if there is any way that you could offer to fund a full or partial scholarship to one of our Parish children for the School year ahead.
I know that these are tough economic times; but I also know that there are people of means in our Parish family who are looking for a worthy way to spend the money they’ve been blessed with.
Catholic education is a wonderful way!
With Schoolsopening in just3 weeks, I’d like to ask the following people to give our office a call right away:
1) If you have a child you would send to Catholic school if you had tuition assistance. or
2) If you would be willing to fund full or partial tuition for one of the children of our Parish.
We’ll do our best to match the need with the available funds to see if we can send more students to Catholic school this year!
May God bless your sacrifice and your generosity.
Love, Father Deering
July 25, 2010
Before every Mass, the Altar Servers, the Lector and Isay a prayer in the Sacristy to prepare us to participate in this most holy encounter with God and to ask that our hearts be open to receive every grace and blessing He wants us to have.
Then, after every Mass, the Altar Servers and I pause for a moment in the Vestibule to say a prayer of thanks to God the Father for the privilege of hearing His word and receiving His Son in Holy Communion.
To be in God’s House, where we are so close to Him in theScriptures, theEucharistic PrayerandHoly Communion
is a mighty privilege indeed.
And therefore it’s important that everyone who enters God’s House, not just the Priest and his attendants, remind themselves of the privilege and blessing that it is to be there.
So, I ask all of you to whisper prayers before and after Mass to request and thank God for His many blessings.
The communal worship that we celebrate as the Mass is meant to draw all the faithful into full, conscious and active participation.
This means that everyone would listen attentively to the prayers prayed, the readings proclaimed and the homily preached.
It also means that all would lend their voices to reciting the communal Prayers such as the Penitential Prayer, the Creed and the Lords Prayer as well as allthe Responses such as “And also with you” and “Amen”.
It’s then that we “get the most value out of the Mass” … which is what all people are seeking.
A way to take your participation in the Mass to an even higher level of involvement is to serve in one of the following roles: Altar Server, Lector, ExtraordinaryMinister of Holy Communion,Usher or Gift Bearer.
Please consider serving in one of these roles and give a call to the Office if you would be willing to be trained and scheduled to serve your Parish family in one of these roles.
The one role that does not require training or scheduling is that of Gift Bearer. Our Ushers try to select a different family each week for this important role. Consider it an honor.
The Family that brings the gifts of bread and wine to the Altar represents all of the people present at that Mass!
Please remember to pray before and after Mass and be fully and actively engaged` in celebrating every Mass.
May the countless blessings of every Mass be yours!
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
July 18, 2010
I have some good news to share … this year we’ll have 13 of our children attending Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Grade School in Homewood. That’s an increase of 4 students over last year!
Another 5 of our children will attend St. Rose Academy in Birmingham. That’s an increase of one!
Two of our children will continue at John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham along with 3 new incoming Freshmen!
And 5 of our children will continue at St. Bernard Prep School in Cullman along with one incoming Freshman!
Parents today are coming to recognize the benefits of providing their children with a Catholic education and they are making the sacrifices needed to send them to Catholic schools.
This is no small thing because there is a definite financial investment required to fund Catholic School tuition.
Round numbers, here’s the cost at our local schools:
Our Lady of Sorrows $4,000
St. Rose Academy$5,000
John Carroll Catholic$6,000
Tuition is normally paid each month over the 10-month school year which means paying $400, $500 or $600 a month.
While that’s equal to another car payment a month, the benefits that will be realized by our children will far outweigh the benefits provided by a car.
Cars will never go to Heaven … children do!
I know that there are many other Parents in our Parish who would love to send their children to a Catholic School but are unable to provide the full amount of the required tuition.
Therefore, I ask you to pray and consider if there is any way that you could offer to fund a full or partial scholarship to one of our Parish children for the School year ahead.
I know that these are tough economic times; but I also know that there are people of means in our Parish family who are looking for a worthy way to spend the money they’ve been blessed with.
Catholic education is a wonderful way!
With Schoolsopening in just3 weeks, I’d like to ask the following people to give our office a call right away:
1) If you have a child you would send to Catholic school if you had tuition assistance. or
2) If you would be willing to fund full or partial tuition for one of the children of our Parish.
We’ll do our best to match the need with the available funds to see if we can send more students to Catholic school this year!
May God bless your sacrifice and your generosity.
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
July 11, 2010
If you were a salesman, and the income you received was promised to be a 10 % commission on everything you sold, I know that you’d keep a close watch on all the paychecks you received to be sure you got the full commission you expected.
In the same way, I’m sure that God is watching all of us to see if He receives the full amount that He expects from us, which is 10% of our earnings, an amount that He calls a tithe.
Many of us Catholics were not taught about tithing as we grew up, but the Bible is clear that tithing has always been God’s plan for us.
A successful young man recently told me that he was a good Catholic … and that he always threw 5 bucks in the collection!
So I took the opportunity to explain to him that God expects much more than that … God expects 10% of our income to go to Him … 5% to the Church and 5% to the Charities of our choice.
5 Bucks a week for the 50 weeks of the year is $250. That’s just ½ of 1% for a guy making $50,000 a year!
To those of you who are following God’s plan of financial support for our Church, I thank you sincerely.
For those of you who are not, I invite you to begin the practice of tithing. It will bring great value to the Church and it will bring untold blessings back to you.
With the first half year of 2010 now complete, we have mailed your Mid-Year Contribution Statement to you as a record of your contributions to the Church.
If you made a Pledge to the Church back in January, that amount is shown on the bottom of the statement. Hopefully the amount that you’ve given so far is equal to half or more of your Pledge amount, and that your giving equals 5% or more of your income.
I know that some of you have had to take a cut in pay; that some of you have had a loss of hours and that some of you have even lost your jobs.
Rest assured that you would not be expected to maintain your prior level of giving in these situations. And any Pledge that you made to the Church would no longer be effective.
Please look over your Statement and determine if you are on track to paying your tithe to the Church.
If you have been away traveling or vacationing, please consider making up your missing contributions in the weeks ahead so as to meet your promised Pledge by year-end.
Thank you for your support!
May God bless your faithful commitment to His Church.
Love,
Father Deering
July 11, 2010
If you were a salesman, and the income you received was promised to be a 10 % commission on everything you sold, I know that you’d keep a close watch on all the paychecks you received to be sure you got the full commission you expected.
In the same way, I’m sure that God is watching all of us to see if He receives the full amount that He expects from us, which is 10% of our earnings, an amount that He calls a tithe.
Many of us Catholics were not taught about tithing as we grew up, but the Bible is clear that tithing has always been God’s plan for us.
A successful young man recently told me that he was a good Catholic … and that he always threw 5 bucks in the collection!
So I took the opportunity to explain to him that God expects much more than that … God expects 10% of our income to go to Him … 5% to the Church and 5% to the Charities of our choice.
5 Bucks a week for the 50 weeks of the year is $250. That’s just ½ of 1% for a guy making $50,000 a year!
To those of you who are following God’s plan of financial support for our Church, I thank you sincerely.
For those of you who are not, I invite you to begin the practice of tithing. It will bring great value to the Church and it will bring untold blessings back to you.
With the first half year of 2010 now complete, we have mailed your Mid-Year Contribution Statement to you as a record of your contributions to the Church.
If you made a Pledge to the Church back in January, that amount is shown on the bottom of the statement. Hopefully the amount that you’ve given so far is equal to half or more of your Pledge amount, and that your giving equals 5% or more of your income.
I know that some of you have had to take a cut in pay; that some of you have had a loss of hours and that some of you have even lost your jobs.
Rest assured that you would not be expected to maintain your prior level of giving in these situations. And any Pledge that you made to the Church would no longer be effective.
Please look over your Statement and determine if you are on track to paying your tithe to the Church.
If you have been away traveling or vacationing, please consider making up your missing contributions in the weeks ahead so as to meet your promised Pledge by year-end.
Thank you for your support!
May God bless your faithful commitment to His Church.
Love,
Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
July 4, 2010
I asked my Godmother last week to tell me the greatest number of Religious Sisters that she had ever seen gathered together in one place. So, as my Aunt Rita recalled her days in Catholic High School in Chicago where she was taught by the Visitation Sisters, she guessed that she had seen some 24 Sisters together at one time at School functions and at Mass.
How amazed she was to hear that I had just visited the Dominican Motherhouse in Nashville, Tennessee where I was amongst 260 Dominican Sisters!
Yes, that is the number of Religious Sisters that are based in Nashville and are sent out to serve as Teachers and Principals in Catholic Gradeschools and Highschools.
All 260 of them were together last weekend as they celebrated their 150th Anniversary of existence.
Without exception, every Sister was joyful! Wearing their distinctive white habit and black veil, they thanked all the Priests and laypeople that came to celebrate with them.
Their campus matches the beauty of Samford University. Beginning in 1860 with just 4 Sisters, they now have their largest number ever and they are experiencing rapid growth.
These Dominican Sisters of the St. Cecelia Congregation have grown by 46% in the past 14 years and they average one new prospective Sister every month!
The average age of all the Sisters is 36 and the average age of prospective Sisters as Postulants is 24.
These Sisters serve in 36 Schools in 14 States. And we are very blessed to have them here in Alabama, where 8 Sisters teach at St. Rose Academy and 2 Sisters teach at John Carroll Catholic High School.
I had the privilege to thank the Sisters whom I’ve come to know during their years of teaching in Birmingham and I was able to concelebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for them along with 16 Bishops (including our own Bishop Baker and Bishop Emeritus Foley) and 40 Priests (including Fr. John McDonald, Principal of John Carroll Catholic High School).
You may recall that during the past year, Bishop Baker added the intention “Year for Vocations” to Pope Benedict’s intention of “Year for Priests”.
Well … prayers are being answered! This Order of Sisters and others like it are blossoming with young women coming forward to serve the Church as professed Religious Sisters.
Incidentally, this year’s Valedictorian of John Carroll was at the 150th Anniversary celebration on a 2 week Come & See!
Please pray for continued vocations so we can one day have Sisters staff our School! And realize that the newSpringtime of the Church is at hand!
Love, Father Deering
July 4, 2010
I asked my Godmother last week to tell me the greatest number of Religious Sisters that she had ever seen gathered together in one place. So, as my Aunt Rita recalled her days in Catholic High School in Chicago where she was taught by the Visitation Sisters, she guessed that she had seen some 24 Sisters together at one time at School functions and at Mass.
How amazed she was to hear that I had just visited the Dominican Motherhouse in Nashville, Tennessee where I was amongst 260 Dominican Sisters!
Yes, that is the number of Religious Sisters that are based in Nashville and are sent out to serve as Teachers and Principals in Catholic Gradeschools and Highschools.
All 260 of them were together last weekend as they celebrated their 150th Anniversary of existence.
Without exception, every Sister was joyful! Wearing their distinctive white habit and black veil, they thanked all the Priests and laypeople that came to celebrate with them.
Their campus matches the beauty of Samford University. Beginning in 1860 with just 4 Sisters, they now have their largest number ever and they are experiencing rapid growth.
These Dominican Sisters of the St. Cecelia Congregation have grown by 46% in the past 14 years and they average one new prospective Sister every month!
The average age of all the Sisters is 36 and the average age of prospective Sisters as Postulants is 24.
These Sisters serve in 36 Schools in 14 States. And we are very blessed to have them here in Alabama, where 8 Sisters teach at St. Rose Academy and 2 Sisters teach at John Carroll Catholic High School.
I had the privilege to thank the Sisters whom I’ve come to know during their years of teaching in Birmingham and I was able to concelebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for them along with 16 Bishops (including our own Bishop Baker and Bishop Emeritus Foley) and 40 Priests (including Fr. John McDonald, Principal of John Carroll Catholic High School).
You may recall that during the past year, Bishop Baker added the intention “Year for Vocations” to Pope Benedict’s intention of “Year for Priests”.
Well … prayers are being answered! This Order of Sisters and others like it are blossoming with young women coming forward to serve the Church as professed Religious Sisters.
Incidentally, this year’s Valedictorian of John Carroll was at the 150th Anniversary celebration on a 2 week Come & See!
Please pray for continued vocations so we can one day have Sisters staff our School! And realize that the newSpringtime of the Church is at hand!
Love, Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
June 27, 2010
Coaching Greats like Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers knew that it paid off to go back to basics regularly and often. The essence of the game of football is blocking and tackling and throwing and catching and kicking. And he knew the most elaborate plays in the world will never work if the players weren’t practiced in the basicsof the game.
I feel that the same thing applies to the spiritual life, which is why we spent this past week working on the basics of our Catholic faith with each of the 32 children who came each morning to Vacation Bible School.
Each day we had the children practice how to bless themselves at the beginning and ending of a prayer. We had them practice the proper way to genuflect in Church, how to anoint themselves with Holy Water, how to pray Traditional Prayers, how to light a Votive Candle in Church and then kneel to offer a prayer.
We taught them how to listen for God in the quiet of prayer, how to examine their conscience, and how to pray for Mary’s help by praying the Rosary.
Yes, these are the basics of the Spiritual life, which is why we called this week “Faith FUNdamentals”.
So, these 32 kids are off to a good start. And now it’s up to their Parents and Grandparents to make sure they continue to practice the basics every day.
The Church is here to assist in the teaching of children, but that duty really belongs to the Parents. Parents are responsible for teaching their children about God and for guiding them to do God’s will so that they make it to Heaven.
Sadly, many kids don’t know even the basics about God & Church and practicing their religion because their Parentsaren’t teaching them and they’re not praying in the home!
What a loss! Young children are literally sponges when it comes to soaking up new information. If Parents would only read to them and pray with them, their kids would quickly acquire the Faith Fundamentals that would carry them all through this life and into Eternal Life.
It’s not too late to start over with your own back to basics program in the home. It will be rewarding for both you and your kids. Please be a good Coach and take the time to teach them the basics about God and how to have a daily relationship with Him in prayer and deed.
Many thanks to our VBS coaching Staff of Tami Bamberry, Mary McMinn, Scarlet Bishop & Kathy Gray, and the many Assistant Coaches and Youth Trainers that made this Summer’s VBS program a big success!
God bless you always,
Father Deering
June 27, 2010
Coaching Greats like Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers knew that it paid off to go back to basics regularly and often. The essence of the game of football is blocking and tackling and throwing and catching and kicking. And he knew the most elaborate plays in the world will never work if the players weren’t practiced in the basicsof the game.
I feel that the same thing applies to the spiritual life, which is why we spent this past week working on the basics of our Catholic faith with each of the 32 children who came each morning to Vacation Bible School.
Each day we had the children practice how to bless themselves at the beginning and ending of a prayer. We had them practice the proper way to genuflect in Church, how to anoint themselves with Holy Water, how to pray Traditional Prayers, how to light a Votive Candle in Church and then kneel to offer a prayer.
We taught them how to listen for God in the quiet of prayer, how to examine their conscience, and how to pray for Mary’s help by praying the Rosary.
Yes, these are the basics of the Spiritual life, which is why we called this week “Faith FUNdamentals”.
So, these 32 kids are off to a good start. And now it’s up to their Parents and Grandparents to make sure they continue to practice the basics every day.
The Church is here to assist in the teaching of children, but that duty really belongs to the Parents. Parents are responsible for teaching their children about God and for guiding them to do God’s will so that they make it to Heaven.
Sadly, many kids don’t know even the basics about God & Church and practicing their religion because their Parentsaren’t teaching them and they’re not praying in the home!
What a loss! Young children are literally sponges when it comes to soaking up new information. If Parents would only read to them and pray with them, their kids would quickly acquire the Faith Fundamentals that would carry them all through this life and into Eternal Life.
It’s not too late to start over with your own back to basics program in the home. It will be rewarding for both you and your kids. Please be a good Coach and take the time to teach them the basics about God and how to have a daily relationship with Him in prayer and deed.
Many thanks to our VBS coaching Staff of Tami Bamberry, Mary McMinn, Scarlet Bishop & Kathy Gray, and the many Assistant Coaches and Youth Trainers that made this Summer’s VBS program a big success!
God bless you always,
Father Deering
The Pastor's Desk
June 20, 2010
The announcement was made in last week’s One Voice newspaper that
Monsignor Eugene O’Connor is retiring as Pastor of St. Barnabas Church in the Eastlake community of Birmingham.
At 80 years old, Msgr. O’Connor was our most senior active Priest affording 56 years of service to our Diocese!
Fortunately for the parishioners of St. Barnabas Church, Fr. Michael Wrigley has been assigned to manage the parish as Administrator. Fr. Wrigley is just 55 years old and has been in residence at St. Barnabas for several years while serving as Chaplain at St. Vincent’s Hospital East.
That’s how it works; as Senior Priests retire, younger Priests must come forward to continue to lead those Parishes.
But here’s the concern … we currently have 14 other Priests either at or over the retirement age of 65. And so, what are we going to do when they retire? Because we don’t have 14 younger Priests ready and waiting to take their place!
Yes, right now 1/3 of the 44 active Priests in the Diocese of Birmingham are eligible for retirement and yet we only ordained 2 new Prieststhis year and we’ll ordain just one new Priest next June!
A recent study done for our Diocese shows that we need to be ordaining4 new Priestsevery June just to be able to replace all the Priests who will leave active ministry due to sickness or retirement.
That means that we need to be sending off a minimum of 4 new Seminariansevery August to begin their 6-year journey of Seminary formation.
And so, Pope Benedict’sYear for Priests that just concluded on June 19th couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanks to the many Parish and Diocesan activities that took place during the past year, most Catholics know that we need more Priests and that we need to pray for more Priests.
You can be assured of this: from all eternity God has already determined an adequate number of Priestly vocations.
And so that means that men simply have to listen for God’s call and then answer the call.
Whether you’re a Parent or a Grandparent or a Catholic in any other role, I hope you will actively encourage all males, whether they’re boys or teens or young adults to consider the vocation to Priesthood.
Remember, we need to ordain4 new Priestsevery year just to serve the current needs of the Church, let alone to serve the growing number of new people coming into the Church.
Please pray daily that the good work that was begun in the Year for Priests will bear much fruit in the years ahead.
Love,
Father Deering
June 20, 2010
The announcement was made in last week’s One Voice newspaper that
Monsignor Eugene O’Connor is retiring as Pastor of St. Barnabas Church in the Eastlake community of Birmingham.
At 80 years old, Msgr. O’Connor was our most senior active Priest affording 56 years of service to our Diocese!
Fortunately for the parishioners of St. Barnabas Church, Fr. Michael Wrigley has been assigned to manage the parish as Administrator. Fr. Wrigley is just 55 years old and has been in residence at St. Barnabas for several years while serving as Chaplain at St. Vincent’s Hospital East.
That’s how it works; as Senior Priests retire, younger Priests must come forward to continue to lead those Parishes.
But here’s the concern … we currently have 14 other Priests either at or over the retirement age of 65. And so, what are we going to do when they retire? Because we don’t have 14 younger Priests ready and waiting to take their place!
Yes, right now 1/3 of the 44 active Priests in the Diocese of Birmingham are eligible for retirement and yet we only ordained 2 new Prieststhis year and we’ll ordain just one new Priest next June!
A recent study done for our Diocese shows that we need to be ordaining4 new Priestsevery June just to be able to replace all the Priests who will leave active ministry due to sickness or retirement.
That means that we need to be sending off a minimum of 4 new Seminariansevery August to begin their 6-year journey of Seminary formation.
And so, Pope Benedict’sYear for Priests that just concluded on June 19th couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanks to the many Parish and Diocesan activities that took place during the past year, most Catholics know that we need more Priests and that we need to pray for more Priests.
You can be assured of this: from all eternity God has already determined an adequate number of Priestly vocations.
And so that means that men simply have to listen for God’s call and then answer the call.
Whether you’re a Parent or a Grandparent or a Catholic in any other role, I hope you will actively encourage all males, whether they’re boys or teens or young adults to consider the vocation to Priesthood.
Remember, we need to ordain4 new Priestsevery year just to serve the current needs of the Church, let alone to serve the growing number of new people coming into the Church.
Please pray daily that the good work that was begun in the Year for Priests will bear much fruit in the years ahead.
Love,
Father Deering
June 6, 2010
Pastor's Desk
Deacon Vincent Bresowar shared the following saying,
“The Catholic Church is one of the hardest ones to live in but one of the easiest ones t
o die in!”
Wow! I’ve never heard that before; but it sure sounds like an accurate and fitting description of our Church!
Entering Heaven means entering through the Narrow Gate. And the Catholic Church, established by Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit, is committed to helping us fit through the Narrow Gate.
For this reason, the Church gives us many guidelines to assist us on our journey. These guidelines could be seen as excessive or oppressive and thereby give the impression that the Catholic faith is one of the hardest ones to live out.
But the truth is that Heaven is so magnificent a reward that it is worth every effort we could possibly make to attain it.
And so we do our best to follow God’s Commands and walk in the footsteps of His Son each & every day of our lives.
But, unfortunately, not everyone does this. In fact, not even every Catholic does this. Sadly, there are many people who have fallen away from their faith, who for one reason or another, have stopped going to Church and ignore the guidelines of God and His Church.
And when they eventually come to the end of their lives, they feel that there is no way that God could ever take them back … and squeeze them through the Narrow Gate.
But that’s where they’re mistaken!
For we have a wonderful God … who’s love for us is not dependent on what we
do or don’t do.
He doesn’t love us because we are good …
He loves us because He is good!
Yes, God loves us because He is love!
And the way we get to be with Him forever in Heaven is to come to Him and ask to
be with Him.
Some people wait until the last minute to do this. But like the Good Thief on the cross, last minute can be satisfactory.
Last week, one of our Parishioners asked me to visit a friend who had been away from the Church for 40 years! I did, and by the grace of God, that person came back to the faith!
This demonstrates the truth of the saying,
The Catholic Church is one of the easiest to die in!”
Thanks to the Sacraments of Confession, Anointing and Holy Communion, souls are made alive and new once again.
Yes, each of you can play a powerful role in the salvation of others … so please call for a Priest whenever any family member or friend is close to death.
Praise to you God … for your mercy endures forever! Love, Father Deering
Pastor's Desk
Deacon Vincent Bresowar shared the following saying,
“The Catholic Church is one of the hardest ones to live in but one of the easiest ones t
o die in!”
Wow! I’ve never heard that before; but it sure sounds like an accurate and fitting description of our Church!
Entering Heaven means entering through the Narrow Gate. And the Catholic Church, established by Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit, is committed to helping us fit through the Narrow Gate.
For this reason, the Church gives us many guidelines to assist us on our journey. These guidelines could be seen as excessive or oppressive and thereby give the impression that the Catholic faith is one of the hardest ones to live out.
But the truth is that Heaven is so magnificent a reward that it is worth every effort we could possibly make to attain it.
And so we do our best to follow God’s Commands and walk in the footsteps of His Son each & every day of our lives.
But, unfortunately, not everyone does this. In fact, not even every Catholic does this. Sadly, there are many people who have fallen away from their faith, who for one reason or another, have stopped going to Church and ignore the guidelines of God and His Church.
And when they eventually come to the end of their lives, they feel that there is no way that God could ever take them back … and squeeze them through the Narrow Gate.
But that’s where they’re mistaken!
For we have a wonderful God … who’s love for us is not dependent on what we
do or don’t do.
He doesn’t love us because we are good …
He loves us because He is good!
Yes, God loves us because He is love!
And the way we get to be with Him forever in Heaven is to come to Him and ask to
be with Him.
Some people wait until the last minute to do this. But like the Good Thief on the cross, last minute can be satisfactory.
Last week, one of our Parishioners asked me to visit a friend who had been away from the Church for 40 years! I did, and by the grace of God, that person came back to the faith!
This demonstrates the truth of the saying,
The Catholic Church is one of the easiest to die in!”
Thanks to the Sacraments of Confession, Anointing and Holy Communion, souls are made alive and new once again.
Yes, each of you can play a powerful role in the salvation of others … so please call for a Priest whenever any family member or friend is close to death.
Praise to you God … for your mercy endures forever! Love, Father Deering
May 30, 2010
You the people of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Henry have played an important part in the formation of Priests because of the way that you have welcomed the Seminarians who’ve been with us for their Summer Assignments.
Here are some of the Seminarians who’ve been here:
Fr. Kevin Bazzel in 1999, now Rector of the Cathedral
Fr. Michael Deering in 2001, now your Pastor
Fr. Tim Pfander in 2002, now Pastor in Winfield
Fr. Jim Booth in 2004, now Associate Pastor at OLS
Mariusz Miedziak, in 2005, from the Detroit Diocese
Dc. Anthony Weis, in 2006, to be ordained Priest June 5!
I know that you are proud of this roster of men now serving the Church and I hope that you recognize that you truly played a part in their journey to Priesthood!
Well, once again you’ll have the opportunity to support a seminarian on his journey to Priesthood as we open our doors & our hearts to welcome Dc. Vincent Bresowarto be with us!
Now while most of the time, Seminarians have a Summer Assignment that is 8 weeks in length, Dc. Brewosar’s time with us will be much longer … lasting for 5 months!
You may remember that I had a similar assignment when I was here as a Deacon Seminarian under Fr. Keiser … I was with you from June to October. This will be true once again.
It’s the plan of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans to give newly ordained Deacons an extended stay in a parish so they can truly get involved in Parish life, get to know the people and practice being a Deacon before they take on the additional duties that come with becoming a Priest.
And so, as a validly ordained Transitional Deacon, Deacon Bresowarwill havethe faculties to Baptize and Bless; Marry and Bury; as well as Preach and Counsel; preside at Communion Services and visit the Sick and Homebound.
Three faculties that he will not have that are reserved for Priesthood are the ability to pray Mass, hear Confession and Anoint the sick.
I know that our parishes love having Seminarians with us and so I’m delighted that we’ll have Dc. Bresowar with us from June 1 through October. Yes, this is much more than a Summer Assignment … it’s a Summer Internship!
Please extend your usual love and kindness to Dc. Bresowar so that he really feels at home with us and has a fruitful time here. Please pray for him and for all Seminarians.
May God continue to bless us all!
Love, Father Deering
May 23, 2010
Next weekend will be a 3-day weekend for most people as we will celebrate the national holiday of Memorial Day …
a day of remembrance for all those men and women who have died in our nation's military service.
Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Then in 1971, Memorial Day was shifted to the last Monday in May to ensure a 3-day weekend for most workers.
Sadly traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years to the point where many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.
At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are ignored and neglected and many people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day.
Fortunately, some organizations like our very own Knights of Columbus council are committed to celebrating Memorial Day each year as it was intended.
And so, for the past 5 years they have organized a Memorial Day Service at our local cemetery so that people from our community can come together to pray and reflect on the supreme sacrifice that fellow American men and women have made to preserve our blessings of safety and freedom.
Knowing that many of our people will be traveling away from home on the actual Memorial Day Weekend, the Memorial Service will be offered this yearone week early.
ThisSunday, May 23rd at 2:00 in the afternoon, all are invited to gather at Oakwood Cemetery in Gardendale for a half-hourMemorial Service that will include prayers, songs and speeches, plus the laying of the Wreath, a 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps.
All this will take place inside the Mausoleum to protect us from the day’s heat.
This Service will set the tone for the following 3-day weekend and fill us with gratitude and appreciation for the price that others paid to preserve our freedom and way of life.
It’s a powerful ceremony and a great way to keep alive the memory that our freedom came at a price. Others sacrificed dearly so that we could live and be free.
This is the very wisdom of gathering together each week in Church to rememberthe great price that Jesus paid to free us from sin & death; He gave His life for the life of the world.
Please keep these memories alive.
Thank you Lord for your Life and Love …
and God bless America!
Love, Father Deering
May 16, 2010
I can't tell you how pleased I am with the new addition to our large Church sign on Highway 31! Beneath our Church name we now have the words "WE ARE PRO-LIFE!"
It's a very accurate description of who we are as the people of St.Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Henry Churches.
It's a message that needs to be announced to a world that does not embrace life for all ... both the born and the pre-born.
How sad it is that we are now 2000 years this side of the Resurrection and the world still does not understand that Our God is a God of Life.
For our part, we need to remain steadfast in our efforts to proclaim the truth that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death and that no one has the right to terminate human life, especially the lives of defenseless babies in their mother’s wombs.
In order to announce this truth in a powerful way, a new campaign will take place this summer here and all across the country called “Freedom Rides”. Beginning here on July 23rd and expanding to many major cities across the country, specially decorated buses will make the rounds calling for the protection of all pre-born babies in the womb.
Just as getting Black People to be respected as Human Persons was the Civil Rights issue of the 1960’s, getting Pre-born Babies to be respected as Human Persons is the Civil Rights issue of today!
All people of good will, including people of different nationalities, colors, and creeds will be standing together … united in the cause for life for all … and an end to abortion.
Recognizing that we need God’s blessing on everything we do, the Freedom Rides campaign begs everyone to pray for 40 days prior to the start of the event … namely from PentecostSunday to 4th of July for the success of this effort.
Please save the date of Friday July 23rd as the time for us to gather in Birmingham to kick off this Pro-Life event.
In addition to this, I ask you to take a look at the November 2009 document called the Manhattan Declaration.
Compiled by three men including Dr. Timothy George, Dean of Samford’s Beeson Divinity School, this document reflects Catholic Church teaching regarding: the sanctity of human life, the dignity of traditional marriage, and the importance of religious liberty.
I have attached my name in support of this Declaration, as has Bishop Robert Baker and numerous other Bishops across America. I hope you will sign your support too! Simply go to manhattandeclaration.org to read and sign. Let’s all play a part in the movement for justice and the common good!
May God bless you and strengthen you!
Love, Father Deering
You the people of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Henry have played an important part in the formation of Priests because of the way that you have welcomed the Seminarians who’ve been with us for their Summer Assignments.
Here are some of the Seminarians who’ve been here:
Fr. Kevin Bazzel in 1999, now Rector of the Cathedral
Fr. Michael Deering in 2001, now your Pastor
Fr. Tim Pfander in 2002, now Pastor in Winfield
Fr. Jim Booth in 2004, now Associate Pastor at OLS
Mariusz Miedziak, in 2005, from the Detroit Diocese
Dc. Anthony Weis, in 2006, to be ordained Priest June 5!
I know that you are proud of this roster of men now serving the Church and I hope that you recognize that you truly played a part in their journey to Priesthood!
Well, once again you’ll have the opportunity to support a seminarian on his journey to Priesthood as we open our doors & our hearts to welcome Dc. Vincent Bresowarto be with us!
Now while most of the time, Seminarians have a Summer Assignment that is 8 weeks in length, Dc. Brewosar’s time with us will be much longer … lasting for 5 months!
You may remember that I had a similar assignment when I was here as a Deacon Seminarian under Fr. Keiser … I was with you from June to October. This will be true once again.
It’s the plan of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans to give newly ordained Deacons an extended stay in a parish so they can truly get involved in Parish life, get to know the people and practice being a Deacon before they take on the additional duties that come with becoming a Priest.
And so, as a validly ordained Transitional Deacon, Deacon Bresowarwill havethe faculties to Baptize and Bless; Marry and Bury; as well as Preach and Counsel; preside at Communion Services and visit the Sick and Homebound.
Three faculties that he will not have that are reserved for Priesthood are the ability to pray Mass, hear Confession and Anoint the sick.
I know that our parishes love having Seminarians with us and so I’m delighted that we’ll have Dc. Bresowar with us from June 1 through October. Yes, this is much more than a Summer Assignment … it’s a Summer Internship!
Please extend your usual love and kindness to Dc. Bresowar so that he really feels at home with us and has a fruitful time here. Please pray for him and for all Seminarians.
May God continue to bless us all!
Love, Father Deering
May 23, 2010
Next weekend will be a 3-day weekend for most people as we will celebrate the national holiday of Memorial Day …
a day of remembrance for all those men and women who have died in our nation's military service.
Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Then in 1971, Memorial Day was shifted to the last Monday in May to ensure a 3-day weekend for most workers.
Sadly traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years to the point where many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.
At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are ignored and neglected and many people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day.
Fortunately, some organizations like our very own Knights of Columbus council are committed to celebrating Memorial Day each year as it was intended.
And so, for the past 5 years they have organized a Memorial Day Service at our local cemetery so that people from our community can come together to pray and reflect on the supreme sacrifice that fellow American men and women have made to preserve our blessings of safety and freedom.
Knowing that many of our people will be traveling away from home on the actual Memorial Day Weekend, the Memorial Service will be offered this yearone week early.
ThisSunday, May 23rd at 2:00 in the afternoon, all are invited to gather at Oakwood Cemetery in Gardendale for a half-hourMemorial Service that will include prayers, songs and speeches, plus the laying of the Wreath, a 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps.
All this will take place inside the Mausoleum to protect us from the day’s heat.
This Service will set the tone for the following 3-day weekend and fill us with gratitude and appreciation for the price that others paid to preserve our freedom and way of life.
It’s a powerful ceremony and a great way to keep alive the memory that our freedom came at a price. Others sacrificed dearly so that we could live and be free.
This is the very wisdom of gathering together each week in Church to rememberthe great price that Jesus paid to free us from sin & death; He gave His life for the life of the world.
Please keep these memories alive.
Thank you Lord for your Life and Love …
and God bless America!
Love, Father Deering
May 16, 2010
I can't tell you how pleased I am with the new addition to our large Church sign on Highway 31! Beneath our Church name we now have the words "WE ARE PRO-LIFE!"
It's a very accurate description of who we are as the people of St.Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Henry Churches.
It's a message that needs to be announced to a world that does not embrace life for all ... both the born and the pre-born.
How sad it is that we are now 2000 years this side of the Resurrection and the world still does not understand that Our God is a God of Life.
For our part, we need to remain steadfast in our efforts to proclaim the truth that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death and that no one has the right to terminate human life, especially the lives of defenseless babies in their mother’s wombs.
In order to announce this truth in a powerful way, a new campaign will take place this summer here and all across the country called “Freedom Rides”. Beginning here on July 23rd and expanding to many major cities across the country, specially decorated buses will make the rounds calling for the protection of all pre-born babies in the womb.
Just as getting Black People to be respected as Human Persons was the Civil Rights issue of the 1960’s, getting Pre-born Babies to be respected as Human Persons is the Civil Rights issue of today!
All people of good will, including people of different nationalities, colors, and creeds will be standing together … united in the cause for life for all … and an end to abortion.
Recognizing that we need God’s blessing on everything we do, the Freedom Rides campaign begs everyone to pray for 40 days prior to the start of the event … namely from PentecostSunday to 4th of July for the success of this effort.
Please save the date of Friday July 23rd as the time for us to gather in Birmingham to kick off this Pro-Life event.
In addition to this, I ask you to take a look at the November 2009 document called the Manhattan Declaration.
Compiled by three men including Dr. Timothy George, Dean of Samford’s Beeson Divinity School, this document reflects Catholic Church teaching regarding: the sanctity of human life, the dignity of traditional marriage, and the importance of religious liberty.
I have attached my name in support of this Declaration, as has Bishop Robert Baker and numerous other Bishops across America. I hope you will sign your support too! Simply go to manhattandeclaration.org to read and sign. Let’s all play a part in the movement for justice and the common good!
May God bless you and strengthen you!
Love, Father Deering
May 9, 2010
Whew! Summer is almost here! 7 of our 2nd Graders made their First Holy Communion last Sunday; 16 of our 8th Graders were Confirmed by Bishop Baker on Wednesday; ourfinal YouthRetreat of the year takes place next weekend; both Grade School and High school PSR classes have come to an end; and our Seniors will be graduating in 2 weeks!
What a busy time it has been for all!
Hopefully Summer will give us the time for some relaxation away from busy routines and schedules.
And yet as we vacation, it’s important to remember that:
there’s no such thing as taking a vacation from God!
You see, no matter where you go or what you do, it’s essential that you keepyour weekly appointment with God!
Whether you’re spending time in the mountains or up at the lake or down at the beach …
you’re still obliged to attendMass each and every Sunday!
God loves you more than you could ever imagine and He wants to see you in His House for at least 1 hour every week.
You can do it with just a little pre-planning. It’ as easy as logging onto www.MassTimes.org to get a listing of all the local Churches and available Masses wherever you may go.
eep Sunday Mass as one routine that never changes!
And for you Parents & Grandparents of small children, I hope you will consider bringing them to our one-week Vacation Bible School that begins in 6 weeks on June 21st.
This year the focus will be on Faith FUNdamentals!
The goal will be to assist your efforts in the home by formally instructing your children in many of the basic signs of our Catholic faith.
In 5 half-day sessions we will discuss such Catholic customs as:
How do you genuflect? … and why?
How do you bless yourself? … and why?
How do you pray before meals? … and why?
Not only will your children grow in knowledge … but they will have FUN doing it!
Our adult leaders will deliver the message through memorable visuals, and songs and prayers and crafts.
I hope you will allow your children to have this fun-filled religious experience by bringing your children, ages 5 to 12, to Vacation Bible School each morning from 8 to 11:30 AM!
Please call the office if you would like to help in any way with this important Summer experience for our children.
May God bless you and keep you safe!
Love,
Father Deering
Whew! Summer is almost here! 7 of our 2nd Graders made their First Holy Communion last Sunday; 16 of our 8th Graders were Confirmed by Bishop Baker on Wednesday; ourfinal YouthRetreat of the year takes place next weekend; both Grade School and High school PSR classes have come to an end; and our Seniors will be graduating in 2 weeks!
What a busy time it has been for all!
Hopefully Summer will give us the time for some relaxation away from busy routines and schedules.
And yet as we vacation, it’s important to remember that:
there’s no such thing as taking a vacation from God!
You see, no matter where you go or what you do, it’s essential that you keepyour weekly appointment with God!
Whether you’re spending time in the mountains or up at the lake or down at the beach …
you’re still obliged to attendMass each and every Sunday!
God loves you more than you could ever imagine and He wants to see you in His House for at least 1 hour every week.
You can do it with just a little pre-planning. It’ as easy as logging onto www.MassTimes.org to get a listing of all the local Churches and available Masses wherever you may go.
eep Sunday Mass as one routine that never changes!
And for you Parents & Grandparents of small children, I hope you will consider bringing them to our one-week Vacation Bible School that begins in 6 weeks on June 21st.
This year the focus will be on Faith FUNdamentals!
The goal will be to assist your efforts in the home by formally instructing your children in many of the basic signs of our Catholic faith.
In 5 half-day sessions we will discuss such Catholic customs as:
How do you genuflect? … and why?
How do you bless yourself? … and why?
How do you pray before meals? … and why?
Not only will your children grow in knowledge … but they will have FUN doing it!
Our adult leaders will deliver the message through memorable visuals, and songs and prayers and crafts.
I hope you will allow your children to have this fun-filled religious experience by bringing your children, ages 5 to 12, to Vacation Bible School each morning from 8 to 11:30 AM!
Please call the office if you would like to help in any way with this important Summer experience for our children.
May God bless you and keep you safe!
Love,
Father Deering