Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
 
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
 
In this weekend’s gospel, Jesus is direct and to the point. He is coming to bring fire upon the world. His coming brings about a choice for all of us to live our lives by following Him. There is a cost to being a disciple of Christ. Suffering, anguish and division are all the cost we play to be a disciple, however, Jesus has assures us all that He is with us and that we are not in the battle alone.

This weekend is the Archdiocese annual Infirm Priests’ Collection. This collection is a major source of revenue through which the Archdiocese is able to provide much needed medical and emergency support for our retired and infirm priests. This collection invites Archdiocesan faithful to provide our ill or retired priests with the  best care and support in this time of escalating medical costs. With over a third of our priests in our Archdiocese over age 65, the Archdiocese is facing more responsibilities as priests age or face serious illness. Thank you for your generous support of our retired and infirmed priests who have dedicated their active ministry years to the tireless care of the Archdiocese. Thank you for your generosity.

With the start of August, the countdown has begun for the 51st anniversary celebrations for our parish. Next Sunday August 21 ^st, we will celebrate our Parish Feast Day and Following the noon Mass, a reception with food will be in Guyot Hall.  Please take this the next few weeks to invite any of our past parishioners and families who have moved to come and celebrate the life of our STHY.
Mark your calendars for special day to learn and develop your relationship with God. On Saturday August 27 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm we will have a special day of recollection called “LIVE CHRIST SHARE CHRIST”. I invite everyone of STHY for this special day of Prayer and presentations on how to grow in our relationship with Jesus in the everyday life. There is no cost for the day of retreat and Babysitting will be available at no charge.

Religious Education classes will be starting soon, but it is time to start thinking about the upcoming religious Education school year. With more than 600 children in some level of Religious education this year at STHY, we need to have a head start in preparing for this fall’s Religious Education classes. Registration is ongoing. (please check the bulletin and parish website for more information).
Remember as well that when you are registering your child for  Religious Education  classes you can also sign-up yourself to be a catechist or aide. We are in great need of a number of catechists to teach our children, from the littlest ones in the early grades on through middle school and high school. It’s a wonderful way to get involved in the life of the parish and to live out the call of Stewardship of your time and talent. We’ll train you and give you all the support you need. There is no greater gift than to pass on the faith to a child, so please consider joining this important ministry of STHY.  The Faith Formation staff is happy to answer questions and get you involved.

 I want to 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 Capital Campaign collection box in the Narthex, 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.

Finally, Next weekend at all masses we will offer a blessing for all our school children, youth and young adults, as well as teachers, who will soon be heading back to school over the next few weeks. We’ve been blessed to have many of our college students home over the summer and we wish them God’s blessing as they go off to their respective schools.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels