Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last Tuesday, Fr. Melwin and I accompanied the St. Anthony Society on their bus trip to the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit. We mixed a reverent morning of prayer and learning about Blessed Solanus Casey with an afternoon of entertainment at the Casino. Our next St Anthony Society bus trip will be in September, going to Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
If you weren’t able to go on the trip, here are a few points to ponder: Fr. Casey was known during his lifetime as a wonderworker, for his great faith, and for his abilities as a spiritual counselor, but especially for his great devotion to the sick, for whom he celebrat-ed weekly healing Masses. Fr. Casey was involved in the founding of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in 1929 to feed the poor during the Great Depression and it is still operating today. He was often found at night kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Casey was a humble man who chose to give his life completely to the Lord.
This weekend the readings all draw our attention to the choice we make between filling our lives with “vanities” – earthly possessions that are essentially meaningless – or “seeking what is above, where Christ is.” How much time, money, and anxiety do we spend buying stuff and “building larger barns” in which to store our treasures, and in seeking earthly pleasures? On the other hand, how much time and effort do we spend in prayer, serving others, and helping our neighbors? Look to the life of Blessed Solanus Ca-sey and be inspired to put more effort into heavenly treasures. St Vincent de Paul can al-ways use more donations. Helping Hands of St. Louis can use more hands to help serve. Adoration is celebrated every Thursday at St. Thomas Aquinas from 8:30 Mass to 3:30 pm. We need more ministers take communion to the sick or homebound or to serve at Mass.
If you or your parents are celebrating a landmark anniversary of 25, 40, 50, and 60 or more years of marriage, registration is now open for the Diocesan Anniversary Mass at Rosary Cathedral on Sunday, October 27 at 3 pm. See the bulletin for mor e details.
Coming up in two weeks! We still need volunteer s to sign up to help at the Birming-ham Festival on Sunday August 18! This is the only festival in our par ish this year and we need help from the entire parish. Helpers are needed for food booths, informational booths about our parish, St. Stephen Church tours, the Chicken Paprikas dinner, games, Mega Moolah Mania ticket sales, and more. Sign-up sheets are in the bulletin!
The bulletin contains the latest infor mation for events and schedules in the par ish. Can’t find yours? It’s on the Epiphany of the Lord App and website.
It is a joy and a blessing to serve as your pastor!
Rev. Gilbert Mascarenhas SAC