Holy Family 40th Anniversary
November 23 and 24
We will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Holy Family Catholic Community with a post-5:00 pm Mass event on Saturday, November 23 here on our campus. We will have special hospitality after all Masses Sunday, November 24. Please mark your calendar and look for all kinds of fun leading up to the actual anniversary and throughout the anniversary year. More details will follow.
Family and Teen Faith Start a New Year
Enrollment for grades 1-12 is currently 260, slightly ahead of last year at this same time. We know many of you are intending to register and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Activities begin with the first FM Mass next Sunday, September 8 at 9:00 am Mass. A new program called Family Involved Religious Education (FIRE) begins Wednesday evening, September 18th. This is a new option for families this year. On designated Wednesday evenings, entire families will gather for faith enrichment, formation and fun. This option has proven popular in other parishes as parents and children grow in faith together. All other classes begin Sunday, September 22nd.
We have yet to hire a Youth Minister but Suzie Malloy, our Director of Family and Teen Faith, reports that adult volunteers are stepping up in a very generous way to complement the efforts of the staff.
Footsteps In Faith Inquiry
I am repeating my challenge to all of you to encourage anyone you know who is interested in becoming Catholic to contact Mary Whiteside, our Director of Adult Faith, at mwhiteside@holyfamilyparish.org. Trust me, you do know someone who is interested at least in learning more about Catholicism. Your invitation and encouragement is as powerful as mine, or anyone on our staff. The program begins later this month and concludes with full initiation into the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil in April. We call the program Footsteps in Faith because it is an educational and spiritual adventure for adults who:
• Have never been Baptized
• Were Baptized in another Christian denomination such as Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, a community church, etc.
• Were Baptized Catholic but did not receive any other Sacraments
• Were Baptized and received First Communion but were never confirmed
Pray the Rosary at Holy Family
We continue to invite anyone interested in praying the Rosary with others on the First Sunday of each month following 9:00 am Mass in the Chapel AND on the first Saturday of each month at 4:40 just before 5:00 pm Mass beginning September 7.
Movement Of Growth
A very significant movement for the growth of our parish has begun. We have assembled a Leadership Team of parishioners and staff who will guide parishioners of all levels, ages and affiliations with the parish to use the Synodal Process of listening, praying and conversing about the most significant issues and concerns of our faith community. Pope Francis has revived the Synodal Process, which is actually an old yet seasoned way to proceed with wisdom, guided by the Holy Spirit leading to growth for any community. He is leading a Synod currently in Rome to inspire growth in our universal Church. Many more details will follow about this conversation in the Holy Spirit, both universally and here at Holy Family.
Isaiah and Mark Open Us Up
Our first reading this weekend from the great Old Testament prophet Isaiah lays the groundwork for the Gospel passage from Mark. Isaiah speaks for God, relaying to us, “Thus says the Lord…be strong, fear not! Here is your God who comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be open.” Mark tells us that Jesus takes a deaf man with a speech impediment off by himself and, touching the man, he looked up to heaven and proclaimed, “Ephphatha! – that is, Be opened!” Immediately the man’s ears were open and he spoke plainly.
Notice that God opens eyes through Isaiah and ears through Jesus. May we seek to be opened to God’s goodness in similar ways.