Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
My dear friends in Christ,
In the Gospel this week, the Lord sends seventy-two men to places he intends to visit. He says, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” Last weekend we celebrated three years of ministry with Fr. Tony Vera at Epiphany of the Lord. This week, Fr. Melwin D Souza has begun his ministry at Epiphany. There is much to be done and more laborers are still needed. We are all called to help carry out the Lord’s mission building up the kingdom of God. If every parishioner would devote an hour for Sunday Mass and a second hour each week volunteering for the parish, how much more would we build up God’s kingdom? What can you do for your second hour? Share your faith, visit the sick, serve as a liturgical minister, sing in the choir, read scriptures, pray, serve on a committee, help clean the church, feed the hungry; there is a task for every person’s talent!
Congratulations to two cousins, Zayden Lee Martin, son of Matthew and Anna Martin, and Adam Joseph Snyder, son of Jay and Marissa Snyder, who were baptized last Saturday. Welcome to the Epiphany of the Lord parish family!
The farewell celebration last weekend was a heart-warming tribute to Fr. Tony’s time in this parish and the many lives he has touched through his ministry. I want to again thank the pas-toral council who put our celebration together, the Altar and Rosary Societies who assisted with hospitality, the staff, and the many parishioners who worked together on our liturgies and reception.
We announced some staff changes in the bulletin last week. Carol Basinger, who has served St. Thomas Aquinas and Epiphany of the Lord parishes for 34 years is retiring. Thank you, Carol for your dedication to the parishioners and your many years of service. Anita Hofbauer will be assuming Carol’s duties in addition to her current position as a full-time Office Manager. Greg Matuszynski will be helping with maintenance and the office during our time of transition. We are blessed to have such dedicated staff serve our parish.
Have you downloaded the parish app yet? I am very pleased to see the many features availa-ble at my fingertips. From prayers, daily readings, and other spiritual aids to maps to our churches and links to the bulletin, online giving made easy, and so much more: this app is an amazing resource for members and visitors!
Next weekend, on July 13-14, we will have beautiful religious items carved from olive wood in the Holy Land available for sale after all Masses. Their sale supports Christian artisans’ families living in the Holy Land.
Let us go out and continue to build the kingdom of God.
Rev. Gilbert Mascarenhas SAC