Pastor’s Corner — January 29th, 2023
We Are Officially Debt Free!
Hopefully by now you all have seen the email I sent to the parish with our video on the historic announcement that for the first time in twenty five years we are officially debt-free! That short video (2:18) was such a joy to shoot. Yes, I really signed the last check on camera and opened that bottle of champaign Fr. Karl left. And yes, I really made a special trip to Lansing just for the sole purpose of personally giving over our last payment and telling Fr. Karl the good news. Essentially, last week we found out that we were going to have enough money for our final payment after having received the last portion of a tax credit in the mail.
I cannot be more thankful for all of the generosity of parishioners over the years towards the debt. I thank God for all of his providential love for the parish. I thank Bishop Boyea and George Landolt for their leadership and generous support for providing us incentives to help us down our debt. I thank our great finance council members who have been steadfastly giving wisdom and advice on how to best steward the resources of the parish to make this happen. I am thankful for all of the people who have worked so hard on campaigns over the years. I am just thankful for all of you. May God be praised!
We plan on having a little celebration on Friday March 17th on St. Patrick’s Day. More details to follow. At about that time we’ll also see our Church renovation come to a close as well. We’ll have a lot to celebrate. More details to come.
If you didn’t receive this video in your email, it might be in your Spam box or you may not have signed up yet. For what it’s worth, we posted the video on our social media pages, so you can see and share it via our YouTube Channel. Again, God be praised!
We also had some champaign to celebrate this historic milestone during our Parish Council meeting on Tuesday.
Genuflecting in Church During Renovation
Some of you may notice that the sanctuary lamp is lit and hung on the false wall behind the presiders chair. The lamp, which is supposed to be near the tabernacle, is meant to indicate that Jesus is indeed in the tabernacle. We intentionally put that lamp up there because Jesus is still in the tabernacle behind there even if the tabernacle cannot be seen. I asked Bishop Boyea about this when he was here for confirmation and he said it’s fine to do it this way. So when you come into the Church, the proper protocol is to genuflect to Jesus in the tabernacle, which is behind that thin wall. I know that’s awkward but I think it’s appropriate and good for now.
Rekeying Locks and a New Key Card Access System
In the coming weeks we will be updating our security and locks here at the parish. In addition to re-keying the entire campus here around Rickett Rd, we are also going to be installing an electronic key card access system on select doors which will help secure the Church and enable greater ease of access for staff and parishioners. Clear and thorough protocols will be communicated to the proper people when that time comes..
Catholic Schools Week
St. Pat’s School is a ministry of St. Patrick Catholic Parish. We are a parish that has a school. It’s important to remember that while St. Pat’s School across town has its own community, because it has its own special mission and is comprised of many non-parishioners, the school is not independent or separate from the parish. Rather, our school is a significant ministry of what we do at the parish. And we’re getting better at it every year.
This weekend Carley Dunphey, our school principal, will be sharing a few words about our school as we begin Catholic Schools Week. I am very proud of her leadership with our outstanding teachers and staff which has made our school such a gem in our Diocese. If you’ve never been to the school, please consider coming to the Open House on Sunday afternoon from 1 - 3 PM.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias