FM's Message | Sunday, November 13th

As this month unfolds, there is much to be thankful for. First, we should be grateful for a very successful parking lot campaign. Thank you to Chi Chi (at IC) and the Knights of Columbus (at SJ) who oversaw parking at our lots during the month of October. I am grateful to Steve and Charlie who were part of the planning, and to Chad for the newly painted lines which helped us keep organized and the lots full all the time. We collected $94, 000! We will use some of the money for operations as it is part of the budget we planned for this fiscal year. We have tithed ten percent to four entities. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul received $5,400; Lifebridge, $1,000; Salem Food Pantry, $1,000; and the Samaritans of Salem received $1,000. All these entities work to help the less fortunate in Salem, and as fellow caretakers of the less fortunate, we want to support them. We also donated $1,000 to the Divine Renovation network, which is a worldwide church and parish renewal movement. Some of the money will also be used to pay down our old debts and the rest we will hold aside for future use.

We are grateful for the successful volunteer project this weekend. It included volunteer projects across the city and even into Lynn. People went to pre-organized sites and did service projects. There was an evangelizing aspect to our weekend as well. All our volunteers received a T-shirt with our logo and were encouraged to explain a little bit about our parish if asked. The weekend concluded with a Mass of thanksgiving for the volunteers and their families. We had an opportunity to hear from volunteers about their experience meeting Christ in others. Part of the plan was to explain to new people we met that we are part of a community of believers in Jesus Christ. We hope that the love expressed in our service and the conversations with those receiving assistance will spark the light of the faith and attract more people to Jesus Christ. Many thanks to Peter Gordon and Angela for their work leading up to our volunteer weekend, for their work that day, and for developing the website. The website can be used to connect anybody to service in many organizations that help those less fortunate. We also hope to use it for signups for all the ministries in the parish.

This month, we also reflect on the service and sacrifice of our veterans and all that they have done for us. There are so many books, films, and oral histories recorded to honor and remember the stories from our veterans. These help us to remember all the many sacrifices our veterans have made and to say thank you for all they have done. I am always moved when at an airport and a flight of veterans is arriving. You see all the many volunteers there to assist them and applaud them for their service. My father served during the Korean conflict and although he served around the Mediterranean during this time (part of a Navy Air Squadron) he had friends who were part of the ground fighting. He never forgot them and I hope we will not forget also.

Peace,
Father Murray


Building news: The restoration of the painting of Mary is complete, however, we still lack the proper lighting and would like to change to an LED light that is correctly placed to illuminate it