Dear Parish Family,

We celebrate Sunday of the Word of God this Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. Every year, this weekend becomes a renewal of our commitment to celebrate, study, and spread the Word of God throughout the year. God's Word encompasses more than simply the words of Scripture. God's Word is living and effective. His Word created the universe and took on human flesh in Jesus Christ. The Word of God, Jesus Christ, speaks in us and through us when we give ourselves over to Him in faith. Do you make God's Word a part of your prayer each day? Start today by praying with one of the Psalms, open up a book of the Gospels, or quietly meditate on the Sunday Scripture readings to immerse yourself in the glory of God's Word.

The Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn traditionally falls on this day, but is transferred to the next day when January 22 falls on a Sunday. Please join the Church in America and people of good will throughout the world tomorrow to pray for the legal protection of the unborn. While Roe v. Wade has been overturned in the Supreme Court, many state and federal laws remain hostile to the life of the unborn. We acknowledge that these preborn children innocent human beings with a right to life, and our Church will always advocate for the right to life from conception through natural death. Remember that fostering a culture of life will take time, patience, commitment, and suffering on the part of people of faith. There are many voices promoting a culture of death which exalt individual freedoms at the expense of the lives of others. We must continue to pray for the transformation of all human hearts to seek the will of God, and the enactment of laws that correspond to the truth of the human person. 

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away on December 31, 2022. I will be celebrating a Month's Mind Mass for him on Tuesday, January 31st at the 8:30 am St. Mary School Mass. All are invited to celebrate this Mass in memory of our late pope. 

Finally, please check out our updated Legacy Giving forms at https://stpatrickthompson.org/faithful-legacy. Leaving a Legacy Gift will ensure the vitality of our parish for years to come. Pamphlets and forms are available on our website, in our info racks, and in the parish office. If you have any questions about leaving a legacy gift, please reach out to me. Thank you for your continued generosity to our parish!

Also, I am excited to announce that we had nearly $140,000 contributed to our Angel Scholarship Fund at St. Mary School in 2022. That is tremendous for the first year of this new tax credit scholarship! This tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in state income tax up to $750 for individual filers or $1,500 for married couples filing jointly. The scholarships prioritize those in greatest need in our school, and will help keep our tuition cost affordable for all families. The Catholic Community Foundation will get a tax receipt to all contributors by January 31st. You can make a contribution again to the Angel Scholarship Fund anytime in 2023. Please be sure to spread the word about the scholarship. The more contributors, the greater our scholarship potential will be to help families with tuition, keep our school strong, and help lower the parish subsidy for the school. All in all, about $4,500,000 was raised throughout the Diocese of Cleveland. Visit https://stmarychardon.org/asf to learn more. Praise God for the blessing this scholarship will provide to our families, schools, and parishes!

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow