FM's Message | Sunday, September 3rd, 2023

As the school year starts with anticipation of new possibilities and challenges, we too are readying for new challenges. The first news is that beginning the first Sunday of October we will begin the morning Mass at 9:00 AM. After consulting with all of you and considering our plans for the year and the desire to make it easier for the community to come together after and before the masses, we have made this change. As I said last week, I hope it also opens up the possibility of doing some morning ministry, specifically training for new ministers and ongoing training for veterans.

We also will announce a new program for the entire parish entitled, “The Grateful Disciple Program”. I am going to ask that everyone prayerfully consider how they can best serve the parish with their time, talent, and treasure. This diocesan sponsored program has helped parishes across the archdiocese to promote greater participation and increase the financial support of the parish. As we continue to recover from the pandemic and seek to be a place of evangelization and healing, it is critical that everyone participates in the life of the church. In his book appropriately named, Everyone Leads, author Chris Downey reiterates that the call for everyone to respond to their personal relationship to Jesus and to lead others to Him has never been more clear and more urgent. Using all that God has given to each of us, it is important we all look out from our benches and church and seek to invite those who have wandered away,

those who have been wounded, and those who have no faith and invite them back for the first time to restart or start a life of faith.

The Grateful Disciple Program will call us to examine how we participate in the life of the church and, as important, how we give witness using all the gifts that God has given to us. I am always conscious of the need to expand our ministries and will once again state that one of the goals that I have is to ensure that everybody who volunteers for a ministry does that service once a month only. This means that we would have four teams of Greeters, Lectors, Eucharistic ministers, Altar servers, Ushers, post-Mass cleaners, etc. What we hope for is that even in the ministry of music, there would be a number of musicians that would accompany Dr. Pierce in the music area. This idea also extends to our work in the community with our St. Vincent de Paul Society, open door program, wedding coordinators, Alpha teams, and grounds maintenance. If everyone brings someone to church and everyone agrees to serve in some capacity, whether it is a public or a hidden ministry, and we continue to ask God to help us and direct us, I am convinced that we will be successful. What does that look like? It looks like many parishioners engaged in many ministries, leading others and watching the parish to continue to grow as a place that evangelizes and heals in the city of Salem. In the coming weeks. I hope you prayerfully consider how you might serve.

We officially announce, that on Sunday, October 1, we will begin the mass at 9:00 AM. This in response to several reasons and in polling the community about the change. Thanks to all who

offered their opinions and thoughts about this change.

Peace, Father Murray

Building news: Last week we had the chapel painted and moved in some benches from the upstairs church. The benches will allow us a little more room the ability to move them around more easily for cleaning. (They have sliders attached on the bases to allow for this.) We will also have a number of chairs to allow for those with disabilities to negotiate the space more easily. The angle that we have put them at opens the space a little and allows those in wheelchairs and who use walkers to access the confessional more easily.

The chapel walls have been lightened a bit and the ceiling has been painted a very light blue shade (polar sky) to honor Mary and to bring a fresher look to the space. We also have made the decision to restore the front doors early and as well, the arches above them. The oak doors will have a dark oak finish with a protection coat that will need to be rough sanded and then reapplied every two years or so. The paint color, Essex green, will also be applied to the windows next spring when we do the rest of the repair on the front of the building.