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

August 31, 2021

by Fr. Reginald Samuels

Twenty – Third Week in Ordinary Time

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

“Ephphatha!” according to the Gospel of Mark translate for us to mean “Be Opened!” Jesus speaks this work I our gospel this week as he heals the deaf man. Jesus fulfills the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah that foretells of a time when “the ears of the deaf will be cleared” and “the tongue of the mute will sing”. Jesus is basically letting us all know that he has authority over sickness and health, life and death, as well as over all creation.
As Jesus calls us to “ Be Open” he is calling us to recognize the people in front of us, especially the those who are in poverty and sickness. During the era of COVID – 19, it may be easy to forget the victims of this virus are in our own community and we need to continue to pray for them.

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 at Sthyacinth.org 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 1000 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 next week. This weekend, Labor Day weekend, September 4^th and 5^th will be the last weekend in our (old) sanctuary. We will be moving all Church services to Guyot hall for approximately eight – ten 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, flooring, and lighting in the main church.

Finally, I want to remind everyone that our offices are closed on Monday September 6th, for Labor Day. Please keep all who labor in your prayers as we honor the dignity of human work on that day. Let us all pray also for those searching for gainful employment in these times and those who have recently been downsized, laid off or seen a reduction in their pay or work hours. May they not become discouraged and may God open new doors for them soon.

God Bless
Fr. Reginald Samuels