Dear Parish Family,

Today we hear a reprisal of Jesus' words said to Simon Peter from the Gospel two weeks ago, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." These words, given to ALL of Jesus' disciples, call us to bind up works of merciful love and loose the works of sin and death. The works we do in this life shape who we are becoming for eternity: works of love done in faith sanctify us in Christ, while works of darkness separate us from the love of Christ. St. Paul says to the Romans, "Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law." As we bind up works of love, recall the words of St. John of the Cross, "Where there is no love, put love, and you will draw out love." The transformation of our minds and hearts in Christ means that we find meaningful ways to put love into places where love is absent. 

Heart of a Shepherd Update
I want to once more thank our Heart of a Shepherd donors for your generosity to our diocesan seminaries and to our parish. As you may remember, the lion share of the diocesan funds raised went to renovating the residences and chapel of our seminaries, with smaller allocations geared towards newly ordained priest debt relief and fully funding the priest pension. I spent a night in one of the newly renovated seminary rooms last month while staying for a pastor workshop, and was so grateful for the support of donors throughout our diocese! Please continue to honor your pledges to the Heart of a Shepherd campaign as best you are able. The health of our seminaries and the wellbeing of our priests depend on your generosity.

We've also seen progress on our parish portion of Heart of a Shepherd funds with sidewalk repairs and a new church roof which was completed at the beginning of this month! The new rectory is the final project to tackle. On that front, I am in the process of obtaining bids on the new rectory and hope to share more information in the coming months. Just as our current rectory has served the needs of our priests for over a century, my hope is to design a new rectory that will meet the needs of our resident priests for many years to come. 

Oktoberfest
Our parish Oktoberfest is right around the corner! Next Sunday September 17, join us for a Polka Mass at 12 pm (outdoors weather permitting) and celebrate our parish community at our Oktoberfest from 1 - 7 pm. We will have delicious German food and drinks, and fun games and activities for all ages. There will be something exciting to do all day long. Check out the event list and menu, order pre-sale tickets,  sign up to volunteer, and register for our strudel showdown on our website https://stmarychardon.org/oktoberfest-2023.

 

Holy Land Pilgrimage

We're going to the Holy Land! I'd love to travel with you to the holy sites around Galilee and Jerusalem to walk the steps of Jesus. The pilgrimage will be September 3-12 2024 and registration is now open. Please use the link below or pick up a brochure from the back of church to learn more and to register. A $300 down payment is needed to reserve your spot. 

Holy Land Trip

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow