News - July 2022 RSS Feed

Pay it Forward and sponsor new families as they seek Baptism at MQOA!

Whew, that was fast! I have said that several times in my priesthood when I suddenly realized large chunks of time  had passed. On August 1, I begin the sixth year of my assignment here. (Normally, pastors are assigned in six-year terms and then renewed once or twice.) We have come a long way from the first days of my arrival, and I feel that we are beginning again. My first Saturday I met with the outgoing Father Bob Connors, got the keys,  and some direction, celebrated a wedding, heard confessions, celebrated the 4:00 PM Mass and went back to the rectory and got ready for the next day. It has been busy ever since that first glorious day. I am so grateful to God for all the blessings I have received, the people I have met and the opportunity to share the Lord and all the grace He has sent here over the years.

As I write this, I am returning from Dallas where I and some of the staff and volunteers attended the Divine Renovation Conference. There were amazing speakers, and we learned what is happening in the Church in our country and around the world. It was an opportunity to hear about some of the successful practices in the Church and learn what people are doing to address the current needs and circumstances of the Church. The biggest takeaway for me was the importance of good leadership and a clear vision for our parish. We are all called to be leaders. In some way, anyone who has led someone to Jesus is a leader. This includes parents, friends, or chance encounters that began with an invitation to our parish that may have led to a conversion or renewal of faith and faith practices. We constantly remind people that we can be prophetic and priestly by sharing the Word and sacrificing. It is the leadership component of Jesus, given to us through our baptism, that we need to highlight for the Church to grow into the future. The practices of the past worked then and worked well, but now we face a different future with declining participation and fewer priests. Our task is to raise up lay leaders who can talk about their faith and lead others to Jesus Christ. We will continue to roll out this vision and work toward raising up those who “will go out to the world and tell the Good News.” (Mt, Mk, Lk)

Love, Serve & Connect is the motto for Catholic Heart Workcamp.

This weekend, I will be away and Father Sean McGillicuddy, a Redemptorist father who serves in the Bronx, will be here for all the Masses. As I mentioned before, the staff and some volunteers will be at a national conference entitled: Divine Renovation. It comes from the title of the first book written by Father James Mallon. We have been using some of the principles that Father Mallon used to renew his parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Mass is the center of the Church’s life. At each Mass, all the intentions of all God’s people, both living and dead, are included.

Let's pray Salem! #letspraysalem

Join this year's Alpha Team! We are hosting two Alphas this fall (more in the spring). Daytime and Nightime.

As a parish, we strive to reach out to those who are dis- or un-affiliated with Church and to form our parishioners to be missionary disciples.

This week we welcome young people from around the country to do some volunteer work for us at the parish. Before COVID, we had welcomed a few groups to do some work for us and it always is an opportunity to meet young people who are faith filled and looking to help in parishes and other places in the city. They will do some cleaning and throwing out of broken and no longer usable things we have in the basement of both churches. The young people will be here for four days, and we welcome them.