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August 31, 2022As the school year and other activities begin, we have a lot to prepare for and do at our parish.
In the area of sacraments, once again September will be a big month for weddings. There are weddings each weekend—and one weekend even has two weddings. There is also one in October, and then we will have a number of them in November and December. This year is particularly busy even in the winter for weddings. This September, we will also host a couple that is having their wedding reception at the hall at St. James. It is an experiment to see if this is something we might do going forward. We already use the hall for various faith programs and some social events, but this will help us to determine if we want to offer the hall to parish brides and their families.
We also have baptisms all through the year and it was a blessing to have the most recent baptism at Mass. When I was newly ordained, we had many Sunday afternoon baptisms—usually with ten or more babies at a time. The rate of baptism has fallen dramatically, so we now celebrate them at Mass easily enough. Since we are welcoming a new brother or sister into the community, it seems fitting that we would welcome them at Mass when the community gathers. When we have baptisms, our usual practice will be to meet them at the door of the church and then process into the church in the usual way singing the Gloria. Omitting the penitential rite is permitted when we incorporate the baptism ritual into the Mass. We are growing and slowly returning to our pre-Covid community with our eyes fixed on the future.
As this fall season approaches, I hope you will join me in welcoming returning vacationers, parents, and new students from Salem State that are making MQOA their spiritual home. It is my hope that we will begin to see lots of new faces beginning to participate in the life of the church.
Jennifer, our music director will be offering an opportunity to have a choir that sings from the pews. We hope to gather people, prepare some music, and then distribute people throughout the church to sing and encourage others around them to join. St. Augustine is believed to have said that “they pray twice, who sing”. It is a way to lift our hearts, minds, and bodies to God during the mass.
This week, I hope you will also be able to hear a little better. We are working to improve the sound system and coordinating where the sound comes from. Thanks to Ian Popken for his donation of time and talent.
Finally, we are working on getting together the final report for the last fiscal year. We are a little behind as a result of the transition from Rose, but I will get a report to you and hope to ask all to consider increased giving. Happy Labor Day weekend. This fall, I also hope to present the vision of the parish as we move into the next five years.
Peace,
Fr. Murray
Building news. This Monday, a painter will be here to start on the restoration of the entrance doors. He will start on the ramp doors and then work his way down to the doors at the side entrance. If it works out, he will continue around to the front doors also. I am grateful to an anonymous family who is underwriting the cost of this project. In other news, we are in final negotiations with the company that is coming for the restoration of the Mary painting. We also have received a check to repair the beatitudes and commandments monuments on the lawn. Our benefactor’s plaques are now hung up in the foyer of the church. I am pleased to honor the memory of William Jeffries and the Goubeau trust. We have used their moneys for a lot of the repair work we have done, paid off some of the debts, and invested some so that the future pastors will have an endowment of some type to work from.
