Browsing Pastor's Notes

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This summer seems to have flown by. It is a little hard to get my head around school children returning to our classrooms, halls, playground, and church. The buildings always seem a bit empty without them, but there have been plenty of adults around – mostly contractors of a wide variety and our dedicated Summer Crew.

Summer Crew, led by Marty Wermuth with the assistance of 4 of our HFS alumni (now in high school at PHS) worked hard to move nearly everything so they could clean carpets, paint, strip & wax floors, prepare for work in the cafeteria and re-setup the when work was done. They really did a great job and were a dedicated team. We also had the assistance of several other volunteers doing the countless odd jobs involving wall repairs, building walls, painting, minor electrical fixes and the like. Kuddos to the Summer Crew and the dedicated folks who made it happen… all under the capable leadership of Mrs Amy Huber. The school is looking amazing and ready to receive its 2024-25 students, which has realized a 7% increase in enrollment.

Contractors, contractors, and more contractors! The school cafeteria and adjoining hallways received a new epoxy flooring, baseboards, and paint. A new permanent wall & access door was installed between the cafeteria and the cafeteria office space to better secure the space. Last spring, the last of the window A/C units were removed and replaced with glass windows once again (given the HVAC upgrades completed in 2022). The teacher’s lunch room (where they try to eat and catch about 30 seconds of silence mixed with adult conversation) received a minor face lift with new carpet, cabinets, and paint. The whole school saw the finalization of a planned upgrade of the camera system to replace outdated analog to digital cameras and wiring. This will help enhance our safe & security environment. The school facility is looking tops.

Of course, we had plenty of contractors assisting in our Seventy & Strong Church Refresh initiative. Climatec and Koetter Construction led the major undertaking upgrading our church HVAC system. Star Electric helped wire the new HVAC as well as updating our church lighting using fixtures donate by Engineered Lighting Sales. The Burkhart Co built our new custom cabinetry for the HVAC units which really harmonize with the 2008 renovation. Trinity Church Supply and their crew from North Carolina did the monumental work of refurbishing our pews so they can serve for another 70-years of prayer and worship. Carpets were just installed last week by Flooring Concepts and the terrazzo floor was repaired and repolished by Rosa Mosaics. Angie Murphy of A.M.ethyst Creative Concepts provided a cleaning & refresh of our Stations of the Cross using her wonderful professional artistic abilities. Several parish volunteers stepped up to paint the sacristy. Paul Stiller, Dan Gulley, and Ron Webber helped rework of the audio outlets in the sanctuary and several other minor issues. Two other teams of volunteers helped move the church to the gym and then back again. Others stepped up to take on smaller fixes here and there. Special thanks to those who greatly assisted in color & product selection. It’s all so beautiful and good. I hope you agree! Discussion will take place to demo the smokestack chimney sometime (hopefully) in the summer of 2025.

Of course all of this is possible because of the generous support and immense faith of all of you. Thank you! The seven week stay in the gym for Mass & Liturgies went unbelievably well. As I quickly became fond of saying, “It was the best Mass one could have in a gym!” I greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and attendance. I’m so very happy to say the ‘summer slump’ that is so very common during June and July was largely non-existent. Secretly, I wondered if the pairing of summer vacation plus Mass in a gym might equal empty chairs. Two weeks in, I had to add an additional 25 chairs to the 320 that were already out because we had people standing at 10:30a Masses. What a problem to have!!!

In the midst of all this, we still hosted more than 120 kids for Totus Tuus and VBS in mid-June as well as Youth Ministry events, faith formation Acts Bible Study, and all the other typical events. More than 125 folks participated in our segment of the National Eucharistic Procession passing just down the street from our church doors as well as dozens engaging in the National Eucharistic Congress itself in Indianapolis. Yes, this summer has flown by! I and the team might just need a vacation from our Summer vacation! But there are so many great things coming this Fall: RCIA (which actually has already meet once), Family Faith Formation, another Bible study, Sacramental prep, school, sports, growth & prayer & community. Who has time to sleep?! We are busy living out our Catholic Christian Lives!

All this work on our church, school, & gathering spaces is for that – living as the Holy Family family. So that Inspired by the Holy Family, we can actively encounter Christ by Sharing the Gospel through prayer, Scriptures, and Sacraments, Form intentional disciples within our parish and community, Engage in fellowship as Catholic Christians and Serve others generously and sacrificially. This is the beautiful work of living and being renewed in the Eucharistic Heart of the Church. Welcome to another wonderful Year!!!

 

Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, Focused on the Eucharistic Heart of Christ, Pray for us.

 

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

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