“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

My dear friends in Christ,

In the Gospel reading this Sunday, the disciples try to prevent a man from driving out demons in Jesus’ name because “he does not follow us.” But Jesus teaches them that even those who are not part of the inner circle can lead others to him, for “whoever is not against us is for us.” That is such a lesson for Parish life as well. Like the disciples, we too can be quick to point out who belongs to the “in crowd” and who does not. Too often we fail to recognize that the people we see as outsiders—those who are new to our Church, those that may be visiting for the first time, those in search of a Church to belong to—can help us grow tremendously in our Christian life. And we are called to help and nurture them along their journey.

Many new faces are coming into view in our Church and I welcome you. Please be sure to visit a member of our welcoming/evangelization committee for information or help. You can always ask the Ushers for help as well. We welcome all of our Religious Education students and Catechists back this weekend.

Those that have been away or vacationing have some questions that I would like to address here. We have received three estimates for the curb work. The Finance Council will review and we will proceed with guidance from the Diocese. We will also begin to get estimates for the renovation of the bathrooms.

And don’t forget to turn your Super 50/50 raffle tickets in. We need your help and appreciate your participation.

May God bless you all!

Father John