Pastor’s Corner — August 20th, 2023
Congratulations Sandi Hootman!
As you’ve may have seen in my email to the parish, I announced that we hired Sandi Hootman as our new Coordinator of Youth Formation. If you missed that announcement, please go here. Most of you know Sandi as she has been working in our parish front office for the past two years. However, prior to that Sandi provided administrative support for the religious education program for a number of years. Sandi brings with her great experience, a love for the children of St. Patrick, as well as a joyful servant’s heart. Sandi will be working very closely with our CGS Coordinator Michelle Rooney, and I am confident that the Holy Spirit will continue to do great things as we grow our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program here at the parish. To find out what we are offering for religious education at the parish, please go here.
New: Three Job Opportunities at St Pat’s
We have several new job openings at the parish.
1) To fill Sandi’s position in the front we are hiring a full-time Assistant Office Manager position. If you know someone who might be interested in being a part of our team in making disciples by providing key administrative support, please encourage them to apply at www.dioceseoflansing.org/human-resources/careers.
2) Today I’m also announcing that we’re hiring for a Marriage Prep Coordinator Position, which will be left vacant by Mackenzie Compton. She recently announced to the staff that she and her husband discerned she is going to stay home after her second baby is born. As a parish which strongly values our commitments to our families, it’s hard to argue with that! I’ll say more about Mackenzie when she leaves us in October. Regardless, we’re hiring for her replacement now so there can be a time for mentorship in the position. If you or someone you know is administratively savvy and wants to help form the next generation of Catholics in their beautiful vocation of marriage, please encourage them to apply here.
3) Finally, I’m excited to announce that we’re hiring a Secondary Assistant Principal for our parish school. Principal Carley Dunphey and I have been discerning and praying about how we can structure our school leadership in such a way that we can provide the highest level of care and support to all our teachers and students. To do this in the best way possible, we have decided that rather than posting a full-time Dean of Students position that would serve our students JK-8th grade, we will hire a secondary leadership position. Our current Assistant Principal, Elena Manial, will become our Primary Assistant Principal serving as the Instructional Lead and Dean of Students for our teachers and students in grades JK-3rd. The person for the new position would serve as the Instructional Lead and Dean of Students for our teachers and students in grades 4th-8th. If you or someone you know might be interested in this position, please have them go here* to apply or email Carley Dunphey at principal@stpatchurch.org
Alarming New Abortion Rule Proposed
Honestly, it’s disheartening to hear of news like this. But I believe Christians need to be aware of any effort that might curtail, limit or destroy our religious freedom. The U.S. Bishops released a statement on a federal commission, (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) that is seeking to insert abortion to recently passed Pregnant Workers Fairness Act:
“We supported the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act because it enhanced the protection of pregnant mothers and their preborn children, which is something that we have encouraged Congress to prioritize. The Act is pro-worker, pro-family, and pro-life. It is a total distortion to use this law as a means for advancing abortion, and the complete opposite of needed assistance for pregnant mothers.
“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s proposed interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to include accommodations for obtaining an abortion is wrong and contrary to the text, legislative history, and purpose of the Act, which is to help make it possible for working mothers to remain gainfully employed, if desired, while protecting their health and that of their preborn children. We are hopeful that the EEOC will be forced to abandon its untenable position when public comments submitted on this regulation demonstrate that its interpretation would be struck down in court.”
To comment on the rule, please follow this link.
Yes it’s exhausting to keep fighting the anti-human ideology of the sexual revolution. But let’s remember what St. Paul says: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9).
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias