Pastor’s Corner — October 31st, 2021
Thank you, Patricia Ellison!
It’s with strange mix of sadness and joy that I am announcing today that Patricia Ellison will be leaving the parish staff. Sadness for us, but joy for her. Here is a brief note to the parish from her.
Dear St. Patrick family,
I have recently become a very happy grandmother. My grandson lives on the other side of the country though, but that hasn’t stopped me from visiting three times in the past two months. Other family and friends all over are also waiting for my visit. So it is time for me to retire from my job of service at the parish (if you haven’t met me, I led the Christian Service office for the past four years), and go serve them.
It was a joy to work with the team at St. Patrick, and to serve St. Patrick parishioners. I thank Fr. Mathias for his mentorship and friendship. I will still be an involved parishioner as travels and time allow in the future, so I hope to see you around.
Happy Fall!
Patricia Ellison
What I’ll miss about her is her passionate defense of and advocacy for those who were underprivileged. She has a sharp understanding that Catholic social teaching is deeply rooted in the dignity of the human person. She impacted so many volunteers and people with her servant’s heart. Along with parishioner Mark Cascarelli, Patricia was recently appointed to the newly formed Diocesan Commission for Catholic Social Teaching. There she’ll find an outlet for her passion to see the reign of Christ and his justice bear on our world. We’ll miss Patricia as our Christian Service Coordinator, but I am glad to know that she’s leaving to serve her family, which is probably the most beautiful kind of Christian service.
The new posting for this part-time position is here. If you or someone you know is interested, please encourage them to apply online.
A Primer on Vatican II
A while back I condemned conspiracy theories about Vatican II. I felt this was necessary because it had become fashionable in some extremist circles to blame the Council for everything bad that happened after the council. Such fallacious reasoning doesn’t help anyone. The Second Vatican Council was a gift for the Church. If you’re unfamiliar with the gift of the council, I want to encourage you to read this little primer on Vatican II from a new and dependable Catholic website. Also it might be helpful to reshare this excellent website on Vatican II for those looking for more information.
All Saints Day (November 1)
This year it is not a holy day of obligation so we will not have a special Mass schedule. We will only have our 8:30 AM Mass schedule.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Mathias