A Note From Fr. Timothy
Catholic Education
Faith formation is an important and necessary activity for all Catholics and parishes. We have an obligation to not only continually grow in our own faith through prayer and study, but to also ensure that everyone else also has those opportunities. A good portion of what we do in a parish is dedicated to Catholic education. Much of that is focused on the youth – either in Catholic schools or in various Religious Education programs – but there is much that is offered for adults as well, such as different Bible study groups, social committees, or retreats.
The Director of Faith Formation has the job of coordinating many of these activities in our parishes and making sure they are effective in handing on the faith we profess. We are grateful to Lisa Neu for all her work in that position these last few years. She has accepted a new job at another location and we wish her all the best and prayers for her and her family.
We are looking to fill that position this summer so that we can get rolling with a new school year in the fall. If you, or anyone you know, are interested in the position, you can contact either the St. Paul or St. Michael office for more details or to submit a résumé and letter of interest. More information is also available at our website.
ACC Sunday Mass
The 5:00 p.m. Sunday Mass at St. Michael is intended to be a Mass for our Area Catholic Community. In our thoughts in planning this as an ACC Mass, we looked at having a Mass at a time that was not previously offered at any parishes in our ACC. We knew the evening Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral was often quite popular (especially in the summer), so we decided to offer a Sunday evening Mass as well. Since St. Mary’s was continuing its evening Mass, it made sense to offer our evening Mass on the west side of town.
Now that we are mostly out of COVID restrictions, our Mass attendance has been rising and it is good to see more and more people back in Church. I know for me hearing many voices sing together or recite the Creed or Our Father together is a powerful moment of prayer and community. Seeing our churches full is beautiful and inspiring, and I hope you feel the same way. However, if you still have some concerns about social distancing, or prefer a little more shoulder room, consider attending the 5:00 p.m. Sunday ACC Mass. The attendance at that Mass, while not exactly low, has not been nearly as high as our other Masses.
As an ACC Mass, we have ministers and volunteers from our various parishes rotate through in assisting at the 5:00 p.m. Mass. We get to hear from different choirs, lectors from each parish proclaim God’s word, ushers greet and welcome all who attend, and Extraordinary Ministers help distribute Holy Communion to the faithful. If anyone from the ACC regularly attends that Mass and would like to assist in one of those ministries, let us know by contacting the office. May we continue to grow Together as One Area Catholic Community.
Fr. Timothy Gapinski
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