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May 25, 2022On Memorial Day we remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives so that we could live in the freedom and safety we enjoy. The weekend also unofficially kicks off the summer season. We are not perfect, but our country was founded on democratic ideals, and we continue to strive towards them with the hope that one day all will have the opportunities and promises written in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Men and women died for these ideals, and it is our responsibility to do the best we can so that their courage and noble sacrifice are not wasted.
As summer approaches, many of our programs are slowing down and we will use this time to reflect on what went well and what can be improved upon at MQOA. I am excited to announce that we have received a grant that will allow us to help with mental health issues in our community--specifically to help parents and children learn to cope with the challenges of communication and growing up. We are presently looking to hire someone on a part-time basis to guide this program. I am grateful to Christine Williams for her work behind the scenes to help guide us in this process. We hope to present our first program in late August.
I am also extremely grateful that several parishioners have stepped forward to help with some of our volunteer administration tasks, like developing an inventory list and receiving training for the CORI and Protecting God’s Children programs. It is wonderful to see people using the gifts they have been given to help the parish.
Steven is investigating a program that we hope will help those who want to discover their gifts and how they can use them to help grow our parish. I once heard a speaker say, “Fathers, you have all that you need to build a great parish.” We continue, confident that God will help us to uncover, in His time, all that we ought to be doing.
In other news, next week at IC, at 1:00 PM, representatives from city agencies and several local businesses will be in the lower church for a job fair. It will be an opportunity for those without cars and those who live locally to see what jobs are available in the city. Summer jobs will be part of the job fair.
Summer change: One change we are making is to move confession and adoration time to Monday evenings from 6-7 PM. This will allow our new intercession prayer team to come and ask the Holy Spirit to watch over and bless our parish. They pray for the staff, for our programs, and for the growth and success of our parish. Please pray for them.
Peace,
Father Murray
Building news:
We continue to work at finding funds to replace the roof and to restore the front of the church. Recently one of our parishioners, who works as a carpenter, gave us an assessment of the doors and what needs to be done to restore them to their original glory. We are also meeting with our State Rep and Senator to access money from the state that is available for restoration of historic sites. We are also looking for someone to scrap and paint the windows of the garage if someone needs a service project.
