Don’t take a vacation from your faith…
Every summer, things slowdown in almost every parish. Our parish school is on summer break, faith formation and religious education classes don’t resume until fall, choirs have fewer members, lecture and discussion groups are completed and the pastor and many parishioners take vacations.
Mass attendance seems to always take a dip during the months of summer. We are often scrambling for Eucharistic Ministers and altar servers.
I would like to suggest that we all stay committed to the practice of our faith during the sunny days of summer. With the longer days of the season, maybe the evening masses on Saturday and Sunday would be a nice change. Or the early Sunday mass at 9:00 am allows for a full day with family and friends following mass.
I also encourage you to attend mass during your travels and journeys. I am so grateful that my parents made sure we attended mass where ever we were. Attending mass in rural Utah, Las Vegas, Denver, Pocatello, or Pasadena taught me about the universal nature of the Church. Seeing different church buildings, hearing different styles of music and hearing different homilies was a great experience for me. I think of these experiences often and am very appreciative for them. The internet makes it so easy to know the addresses of churches and their mass times for the cities you are visiting.
Please remember that as you may be visiting other cities and parishes, we will have many visitors here at our parish. When you see a new and unfamiliar face, extend a St. Vincent welcome to them. Please greet them, invite them for coffee, offer them a place in your pew, introduce them to others and tell them the story of our parish and newly renovated church.
I hope that each of you is able to have time for relaxation during these summer months. I have the good fortune to be visiting Rome, Italy this month. I am there for a friend’s ordination as a deacon. I will be praying for each of you at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul.
My best to each of you,
The Rev. John E. Norman
Pastor, Saint Vincent DePaul Parish