2015 archive of From the Pastor
October: A Month of Discouragement and One of Hope
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 10/17/15
For the Christian Community as a whole, the month of October is one of joy and one of sorrow. On the one hand, as Catholics, we honor Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in a special way. On October 7th, we honored Mary as Our ... Read More »
A Parish-Wide Process: Recommending Persons to Serve on Our Pastoral Council
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 10/13/15
A PARISH-WIDE PROCESS: RECOMMENDING PERSONS TO SERVE ON OUR PASTORAL COUNCIL –
In the life of our parish communities, the Pastoral Council plays an important, unique role. Based upon the Mission Statement of the parish, the Pastoral Council, working with the Pastor, plans for the spiritual growth of ... Read More »
Expressing our Dignity in What We Wear
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 10/04/15
We express something of how we see ourselves in a number of ways: through our tone of voice, in gestures such as shaking hands, exchanging hugs, in our punctuality or lack of this, by using our hands to express what we want to share, in the manner in which ... Read More »
Some Hoped-for Lasting Effects of the Holy Father's Visit
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 9/28/15
What an honor it is for the Catholic Church in America as well as for many other Americans for our land to host the historic visit of Pope Francis! In a unique way, the office for which he has been chosen embodies the worldwide Catholic Church. Whenever the Holy ... Read More »
Strategic Planning: An Opportunity to Look Backward and to Look Ahead
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 9/20/15
As individuals and as parish communities, we like to feel that we are going somewhere, that we are making progress in and with our lives. We live with a wholesome tension that can be described as follows. On the one hand, we like to look backwards. What have we ... Read More »
The Religious Formation Process for Children and Youth Resumes
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 9/12/15
Starting this Sunday, September 13th, before Mass at Resurrection Parish and next Sunday, September 20th, after Mass at St. Mary Parish, the process of religious formation of children and youth resumes. I chose the words, “process” and “resumes” to indicate that formation in our Faith is a reality that ... Read More »
Making Time for a Regular Spiritual Check-up
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 9/07/15
Many of us realize the importance of having the vehicles that we drive serviced from time to time. By doing this, our vehicles will be able to continue to serve us as effectively and as efficiently as is possible. We have been set free to be effective vehicles of ... Read More »
Opportunities to Strengthen and to be Strengthened
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 8/30/15
In the eyes of our Diocese, St. Mary and Resurrection Parishes are sister parishes. By design, this means that our two parishes are joined together in distinctive ways. For example, the priests and deacons who serve in our parishes are called and appointed to serve in both parishes. This ... Read More »
An Effort to Unpack Bishop Thomas's Vision for our Diocese
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 8/30/15
Last November, St. Mary Parish hosted a gathering to welcome Bishop Thomas as our new Bishop. In his homily, Bishop Thomas expressed his vision for our Diocese as that of doing our part to reach the goals of Holy Families, Holy Vocations and Holy Disciples. Thus, in a concise ... Read More »
The Personal and Communal Nature of that for Which We Hope
Posted by Deborah Dubois on 8/08/15
Next Saturday, August 15th, the Universal Church observes the Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother, Mary, into heaven. According to Pope Pius XII in proclaiming this dogma, “…what is consummated in this feast is not simply the total absence of corruption from the dead body of ... Read More »