18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Epiphany Family,

I had a very nice time with my family on vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in mid-July. It is such a blessing to have my whole family(all 19 of us between my parents, siblings, their spouses, and nephews and nieces) together for a week with the bonus of being in a place where it is even easier to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. We all need time to be refreshed and renewed. My family has gone to Gatlinburg many times but next summer we will be going to Williamsburg, Virginia.

The second last week of June was also a great blessing for our priests as we had our first priests’ convocation in four years (normally we do so every two years). Fr. John Riccardo and the Acts XXIX team led us in inspiring and challenging sessions. This team will also be presenting our diocesan pastoral conference in mid September. Their ministry chose their name because while there are only 28 chapters in the Biblical book of the Acts of Apostles, we are living in the next chapter of the Church, guided by the same Holy Spirit as the apostles. We were invited to reacquire a Biblical worldview, be overwhelmed by the explosive power of the Gospel, engage one another on a deeper level, and more prayerfully discern God’s will in our lives, ministries, and parishes.

I am excited about our next St. Anthony outing, a Mass at the cathedral on Tuesday, August 9th, at 11am, followed by a tour and lunch at Spaghetti Warehouse. While I have concelebrated many Masses in the main body of the cathedral, I have never been the main celebrant. Our cathedral is truly a gem and can be counted among the most impressive cathedrals in the country. Please call the office to RSVP for this outing.

The seminarians who have lived with me over the summer, Chris Turner and Kevin McGraw, will very soon be finishing up (August 4th) their Clinical Pastoral Education program at St. Vincent’s Hospital. I am grateful for their assistance with serving Masses when they have been able, their assistance with our parish youth, as well as simply their presence and witness to me and the parish.

Please save the date for the afternoon of Sunday, September 18th at Cardinal Stritch High School. Please stay tuned for time and further details. RCM architects will share with the whole parish their findings from the facilities assessment. Their presentation and proposals will be formed by the physical inspection of our facilities and the interviews and surveys of our ministries. There will be an opportunity for further feedback, and while no final decisions will be made at this meeting, it will help us better discern God’s path for our parish moving forward. Let us continue to pray that Jesus will strengthen us as living stones rooted in HIm.

In Christ,
Father Eric