We begin Catholic Schools Week this weekend. Second only to the sacramental life, Catholic education has been the most important ministry of this parish for the past 67 years. We currently have over 830 students in our parish school, grades pre-K through eight. Students attend a school Mass twice a week, they offer prayer together through the day, and they take classes in religion to learn the content of the faith. Guiding our children to live their faith is central to our mission as a parish. In addition, our parish school has been an important mode of evangelization. I think that we have five children in our school this year who are preparing for baptism at Easter. We invite everyone to join us in the school cafeteria after the Sunday morning Masses for coffee and donuts as we celebrate our parish school.
In addition to our parish grade school, we also need to point to the ministry provided in our diocesan high schools. The majority of the graduates of St. Charles School move on to Bishop Dwenger High School. There, they continue in an atmosphere that supports our faith. Students at Bishop Dwenger take classes in theology, they have Mass and confessions, and they are encouraged in every way to live their Catholic faith. At a formative age in life, our Catholic high school is offering a vital ministry.
This Thursday evening, Jan. 29, we will have a gathering to focus on mental health issues. Everyone is welcome to join us in the Community Room (off of the Gathering Space) at 7 p.m. Dr. Melanie Williams from Catholic Charities will give a presentation and we’ll talk about organizing a support group for those who deal with mental illness issues and for their loved ones.
Next Sunday is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. We are reminded of the story of Mary and Joseph taking the child Jesus to the Temple. An elderly man named Simeon sang out that he could die in peace having seen this child who is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.” The Feast of the Presentation is also known as Candlemas, a time when we remember the light of Christ shining out into the world. Candlemas is a traditional time for the blessing of candles. We will bless candles at the beginning of each weekend Mass and we invite everyone to bring candles from home for the blessing. At the 9:00 Mass, we will invite the congregation to the Gathering Space before Mass begins and process into the church with lit candles.
The Feast of St. Blaise is on Monday, February 3. We will offer the blessing of throats at the end of each Mass next weekend.
Please mark your calendar for March 23-25. We had a wonderful event last Lent with our 40 Hours Devotion. We will be offering it again this year. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the church from 7 p.m. on Sunday until 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Fr. Herb Weber, an excellent speaker, will be giving talks on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings, focusing on the Jubilee Year of Hope. We will be recruiting people to spend time in the church day and night throughout those days. Watch for more information to come.
