25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Epiphany Family,

This weekend is our parish meeting with RCM architects regarding our facilities (Sunday, September 18th, 2-4:30pm at the Cardinal Stritch gymnasium-enter off of Coy Road). Our facilities assessment has gathered a lot of data from the physical assessment of our buildings and feedback from parish ministries which has led to multiple proposals for our parish to consider. Though perhaps future decisions may be difficult (although no decisions will be made at this meeting), my prayer and hope is that it leads us to better focus on the living stones (our people) of the parish and more closely united in our mission to share the Good News of Jesus. Let us continue to pray that God will lead, guide, and bless our parish.

In this in-between time, we may feel some anxiety, but Jesus invites us to focus on Him. It made me think of this prayer from Thomas Merton, which might express where we are as individual living stones and perhaps as a parish. I invite you to ponder and pray it to the Lord:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.

I again invite you to come join us for our mission with Richard Lane from the 26th to the 29th. Let us come together in trust and as a family to be set on fire with Jesus’ love through Richard Lane.

In Christ,
Father Eric