he Lazarus in your life?” Who is the person who is standing outside the door of your life that you do not see or recognize as a person? This past summer I had a funeral of a man who had frequently attended Mass until 4 years ago when he could no longer drive and was homebound. For four years he went without Eucharist because I did not know he was absent from Mass. He was Lazarus! And there are others, I am sure. So, I ask (no I beg you!) please help me to find these brothers and sisters so they can be visited and receive Holy Communion. If you know of someone who is homebound, or someone who you haven’t seen in a while at Mass, please contact the parish office. We have a number of Eucharistic ministers who visit the homebound who in addition to me will visit them.

For over a year now we have not had a music minister on the staff. There have only been two individuals during this time who have applied for this position. However, during this time members of the music ministry have stepped up to cover all the Masses including planning the music and rehearsing with the cantors and choir. Deb DiCillo is one of these members who has planned the music and has been the primary accompanist. She recently planned and led an afternoon of prayer and reflection for the choir, and I would like to share with you a section of her reflection that is good for all of us to hear:

Why do we sing? When groups of people get together for special occasions, music and singing are often an important part of these get togethers. We sing carols at Christmas, we sing Happy Birthday, we sing the Alma Mater at school reunions, the list goes on. The reason why singing is such an important part of these celebrations is the same reason why singing is such an important part of the liturgy. The Liturgy is a celebration - a celebration of faith. Music lets us express our faith through song. Singing during Mass brings us together, with the people, into a single worshipping community. We sing because we are a people of prayer, and we’ve all heard the phrase “When you sing you pray twice!”

Thank you, Deb, and all who have kept the music alive for our prayer and worship. If you are interested in joining the choir or if you are an instrumentalist, please stop by the Monday night choir rehearsals that are held at 7:00pm in the church.

There are many activities planned for the upcoming weeks. In particular I hope you come out next Sunday evening for a movie night. St. John Paul II has influenced all of our lives in the church and personally. The movie next week is about his life and how he continues to be a great influence in our time. Monday evening at 6:30pm will be the blessing of the animals. It is always fun to see everyone with their pets. Some of the dogs will be dressed for the occasion and provide entertainment when we try to sing. In the past there have been horses, chickens, rabbits, and lizards. All animals are welcome!

Please pray for the priests of the diocese as we will be meeting this week in conference from Tuesday through Friday. This is our semi-annual convocation where we spend the week, praying, listening to conferences, and renewing friendships and commitments to the diocese.
 
 Fr. John
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