Twenty – First Week in Ordinary Time - St Hyacinth Catholic Church

August 17, 2021

by Fr. Reginald Samuels

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

We begin our great celebration of the anniversary of our parish with The Parable of the Great Feast in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 14. Jesus tells us in the parable to: Come for everything is ready.” It is custom that invitations to banquets be extended and accepted, however it was an initial acceptance because the exact hour the banquet was to take place was not yet known to those invited because it was not known how long it would take to get prepared. Our 56^th anniversary ushers in a new phase for our parish, we are charged with getting everyone ready for the great feast to follow. The Great Feast in our newly renovated main sanctuary.

As we celebrate our 56th anniversary, now it is time to renew the flame of our burning hearts to assure we continue the mission of Christ for all following generations. We must face the challenges and opportunities of the next 56 years with one unequivocal mission:

Saint Hyacinth is a Catholic Community bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are nourished by his sacraments, committed to the service of one another by living and teaching gospel values. Our journey in faith and love calls us to walk with others through service and prayer. We will continue the mission of Jesus Christ to bring about the kingdom of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit using the gifts of time, talent and treasure.

Religious Education classes will be starting in a few weeks’ time, and now is the time to start thinking about the upcoming religious Education school year. Registration is currently in progress. You can register on line or register in Faith Formation office during Sunday hours.

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 need 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. The Faith Formation staff is happy to answer questions and get you involved.

One of the principal goals of 2021 is to increase the number of people that are contributing to the Church to Faith Direct, our electronic giving platform. We have over 900 registered families here at STHY that maybe giving to our parish in the Sunday collection; however, we don’t have a record of them using their envelopes or Faith Direct. The Church spends close to $10,000 a year to print and mail our parish offertory envelopes. The easiest way for us to significantly reduce these printing expenses is to sign up as many people to Faith Direct. You can enroll for online giving through Sthyacinth.org/ onlinegiving. As always, know that your generosity is truly a gift from God.

Phase two of the renovation of the main sanctuary will be starting in just two short weeks. Labor Day weekend, September 4^th and 5^th will be the last weekend in our sanctuary. We will be moving all Church services to Guyot hall for approximately eight weeks to accommodate the renovation of the main sanctuary. Studio Red Architects will be guiding us on phase two of the renovation. For the renovation of the sanctuary, we are planning to replace the existing pews with new pews, new flooring, and new lighting in the main church along with replacing doors and new fixtures.

Finally, next week we will have our Annual Missions appeal. The archdiocese has challenged every parish to open of their doors for a missions appeal and now we welcome the Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales. If you remember Fr. Sabastian, who served here at St Hyacinth for a few years, was a member of this religious Community. Please welcome Fr. Joy Thomas M.S.F.S. to St Hyacinth.

God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels