Pastor’s Corner — October 1st, 2023
Stewardship of Talents and our St Pat’s Ministry Directory
Last weekend in my homily on stewardship of time and talent people responded so overwhelmingly about getting involved in the parish that we ran out of the ministry directory booklets. If you were looking for one and couldn’t find one, you’ll find a fresh supply this weekend.
Parish Festival This Sunday (Oct 1) Across Town!
Please plan on bringing your family and friends to our parish festival “Oktoberfest” this weekend Sunday October 1, 2pm-6pm at St Pat’s School property. (1001 Charles Orndorf Dr, Brighton). It’s a great family event with bounce houses, obstacle courses, beer brewed by parishioner-owned Eternity Brewing, Tommy Schober and the Sound of Sorgenbrecher German band, and FREE authentic German food. We will also be drawing tickets at the end for our Annual Parish Raffle. Don’t forget to turn in your tickets in the white barrels at the entrances in the Church by 3 PM on Sunday.
Financial Stewardship One Pager, Online Giving and Planned Giving Seminar
In today’s bulletin you’ll find an insert that has some important information about our financial stewardship. On one side you’ll see our annual financial report to the parish. God has been so good to us and the parishioners have been so generous to our parish! I am thankful to be a part of a parish who takes stewardship so seriously. I am so grateful for the hard work of Ryan Nardozzi, our Director of Parish Operations, and our two bookkeepers Donna Cesarz and Mary Beth Sobel, our faithful collection counters, and our faithful Finance Council led by Michael Demeyere. We couldn’t steward God’s gifts well without them. We have such a great team here!
On the other side of the sheet, you’ll find some important information on how to give online to the parish, which we strongly prefer over physical envelopes for several reasons, and some information about an upcoming special Planned Giving Seminar on October 16th at 6:30pm with Ryan Nardozzi, Michael DeMeyere and Deacon Pat McDonald. In this seminar you’ll learn about how to steward your financial resources in the parish through your retirement funds and other kind of estate gifts. Special thanks to those who have set this up and thanks ahead of time for those who wish to learn more about how to do this. May God be praised for your generosity!
“Healing Room” Physical Healing Ministry
After only a few months of starting, our physical healing prayer ministry is gaining momentum. Here is a little of the update email I received from Steve Michalek who leads the ministry:
“Feedback remains very positive with so many people expressing that they have felt loved, cared for, and blessed to receive prayer ministry. Many have gone out of their way to describe how their experience has brought them closer to our Lord. This is so beautiful to hear because this ministry is driven by our desire to feel the Father’s heart for all who step forward and embrace them with His love. We also continue to have a number of testimonies regarding reduction of pain. Below is a recent testimony I am very excited to share:
I had knee replacement surgery scheduled for Sept 25 due to level 3-5 pain in my right knee--level 7 for 3 days after taking 40 golf strokes in May. I had the left knee replaced in May 2022 and generally have only some stiffness and level 1 pain in that knee when going down steps or twisting.
When I got home, I started climbing steps, and the right knee pain was significantly reduced, so it felt like the left knee. On Monday, I swung a golf club 60 times and felt only level 1 pain in both knees. Then on Thursday, I played 9 holes of golf and, again, only felt minimum pain in both knees. I went out to dinner and was able to stand up after 2 hours and start walking immediately instead of having to wait for the pain to subside. Since the right knee felt as good as the knee that had had surgery 16 months ago, I canceled the Sept 25 surgery and am praising God for working through the team to heal me.”
This ministry meets once a month (first Sunday of the month) and they are meeting this Sunday October 1st after the 11:30am Mass in the Church by the Sacred Heart Chapel. Click here for more information on the ministry.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias