A Note From Fr. LeRoy
On behalf of Fr. Timothy, Fr. Oswaldo and myself, I would like to thank all of you who donated toward Bishop Kettler's request for a 2nd Collection for the Ukraine Relief which was taken on the 2nd Sunday of Lent. Final numbers are not in yet, however, from the looks of it, you have all been very generous! These monies will be sent to our Chancery Office who in turn will send them to Catholic Relief Services, an International Catholic Organization whose mission is to help people in troubled places throughout the world. So many families and peoples have been displaced from their homes and are in need of food and shelter due to the War in Ukraine. This is not to mention the many businesses, buildings and property destroyed by this act of war. Many lives have also been lost. These tragic events could happen to any of us, had we been born in such war-torn areas, so it's important that we reached out and helped.
This past Friday on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25th) Bishop Kettler had a special noon-day Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral along with other priests and parishioners in our St. Cloud Diocese to re-consecrate both Russia and Ukraine to the "Immaculate Heart of Mary." This was done in hopes of bringing some reconciliation and peace to that area. This was in part, at the request of Pope Francis I, who asked the bishops throughout the world do the same to bring about a conversation of heart. For those who attended, thank you! For those who could not, it's never too late to pray for peace.
I would like to leave you with this meditation from Pope Francis I as part of your Lenten journey: "Many times, in the face of a burden of life or a situation that saddens us, we try to talk about it with someone who listens to us, with a friend, with an expert. This is a great thing to do, but let us not forget Jesus. Let us not forget to open ourselves to Him. He awaits us; He always awaits us. Not to magically resolve our problems, but to strengthen us amid our problems....He does not take away our cross, but carries it with us...When Jesus enters our life, peace arrives." (Pope Francis I)
Let's continue to carry our cross, what ever that may be.
Fr. LeRoy Scheierl
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