Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

 
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
 
There are many ways that Jesus is present to us if we take the time to be attentive to his presence. In living the Pastoral mystery we die to ourselves so that we can be present to Christ and His Church. The Gospel this week suggests that we are call to take time for prayer; the scriptures and find a quiet time to listen to Jesus speak to our hearts. When we let go of our busyness, we are self-sacrificing to in order to be attentive to Jesus.
Our annual Vacation Bible School wrapped up a week ago and it was a huge success. There were over 140 kids and over 60 adult and teen volunteers helping our young people grow in their relationship with Christ and the Church.  I want to say a special thanks to Mrs. Pamella Johnson our Associate Director of Faith Formation, for developing and executing an interesting and exciting program for our young people. I also want to say a special thank you to our Co-Directors of VBS this year, Deborah Sorge, and Debi Tribble and all the countless volunteers for all of their work.
 The VBS theme was called “Cave Quest: Following Jesus the Light of the World” and many people gave of their time and talents to make VBS happen. Special thanks to our volunteers responsible for arts and crafts, pre-school youth, kitchen duty and games. This VBS event was a great time for our young people to explore their relationship with Christ and the Church. Thanks to all our parents, teens and volunteers for making this event happen for the people of out parish. On behalf of STHY, I want to thank you all.
Now that we are in the HOT heat of summer, I want to give an update on the AC unites in Guyot Hall. If you recall, back at the beginning of February, lightning struck three of our AC units. Well the final repair bill for the three industrial units was $13,000. The AC units in Guyot Hall are up and running. These repairs add to the total of $53,000 that we have spent in the past year alone on repairing and replacing several of the industrial AC units on the complex. Thank you for your generosity towards our capital improvement fund.
I want to take the time to thank everyone who has participated in the 2016 DSF campaign. “His Mercy Endures Forever” (Psalm 136)is the theme for this year and our goal this year at St. Hyacinth is $84,000 we always strive for 100 percent participation from all of our families.
The DSF raises funds to support the more than 60 ministries of the Church that no one parish on its own could ever accomplish, but that collectively we can all do to bring God’s love to all people. Most of these ministries operate behind the scenes and we don’t think about them because we just assume that the Church does them, but it can only be done through your support.
 If we have 100% participation from everyone, we would make our goal easily. The average pledge is usually around $250. For those who have not given anything to DSF, could you please consider giving that amount this year? Or maybe make a pledge of $365 — a dollar a day to support those great ministries. Any amount that exceeds our goal is returned to us 50 percent (the other 50 % goes to help inner-city parishes in need), so it’s a blessing for us and the archdiocese. Please prayerfully consider what you will pledge and we’ll see that it is processed. Let’s do our part to, as this year’s theme says, minister with
I send out my sincere thanks to all who made a pledge for our Building Faith, Family and Future Capital Campaign. I truly appreciate your generosity and support. There is still time for you to make your pledge. Envelopes are in the Narthex along with our collection box specifically designed for our Capital campaign or you can do so online through the parish website. When you complete your pledge envelope, drop it in the collection box, offertory basket, or mail it or bring it by the office at any time. Remember, we ask every family to consider an equal sacrifice, not an equal size gift. We can all do our part, and every pledge, of every size, is most needed and welcomed. Thank you for doing your part to help us reach our goal.
 
 
 
 
 
God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels