Pastor’s Corner — September 18th, 2022
Parish Financials
In the bulletin you’ll find our annual financial overview that we publish each year. As you see looking at it, we’re doing well. As I thank and praise God for what he’s doing in our parish, I am particularly grateful to God for:
1) All of you who so willingly partner with our parish with your generous offerings to the Lord, which enables us to work toward fulfilling our mission of making Spirit-filled missionary disciples of Jesus. Thank you!
2) My good finance council members who give me so much perceptive and timely feedback on how to steward the resources that are offered for the sake of our mission. Thank you!
3) Our solid finance staff team here at St Pat’s: Ryan Nardozzi, our Director of Parish Operations, and our bookkeepers, Donna Cesarz and Mary Beth Sobel. They all work so hard on making sure we meticulously and faithfully steward the resources entrusted to us for God’s glory. Thank you!
Our renovation project planning is going along well with construction starting after the new year and finishing around March 17, our Patronal Feast Day (St Patrick’s Day). God is good.
Parish Festival Oktoberfest, Sunday October 2nd (2pm-6pm) at the School
After the resounding success of last year’s event, the parish is invited to our new fall festival on the parish school grounds across town (1001 Charles Orndorf Dr) to highlight the unity of our entire St Patrick Family (parish and school). The school St Pat’s Dad’s Club again is planning and executing this family friendly event which includes bounce houses, obstacle courses, beer brewed by parishioner-owned Eternity Brewing, Tommy Schober and the Sound of Sorgenbrecher German band, and 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 that day). Thanks to all those who have turned in your tickets for this big fundraiser. Special thanks for Keehn-Griffin Funeral home for purchasing the tickets and the Knights of Columbus who worked really hard getting those tickets to you.
Please plan on bringing the family for the event. I hope to see you there!
New Parish Council Members
This last week we kicked off our first Parish Council meeting for the fall with a BBQ at the Rectory. We welcomed our new members Cassady Pitt, Jordan Knepper and Sandy Doud. I want to thank in a special way Mark Cascarelli, Tony Bozaan, Shirley Caster, and Frank Law, who ended their terms this year, for their service to the council. I’m sincerely thankful for all the insight and guidance I receive from the parishioners who spend time on the parish council.
Greetings From Newly Ordained Deacon Kevin Darwent!
As I mentioned last week, Deacon Kevin will be joining us at St. Pat’s three out of the four weekends a month for diaconate ministry. He’ll be present this weekend for a couple of Masses. Here is a brief note from him to the parish:
My name is Kevin Darwent and I have been in formation as a seminarian with a religious community called the Companions of the Cross since the Fall of 2013 and just this Saturday (September 17th) I was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate. I am one step closer to my ordination to the priesthood which will be some time this upcoming summer. I am excited to have this opportunity to serve as deacon at St. Patrick’s this year!
I just turned 33 earlier this month and I am the middle child of five kids in my family. I have two older sisters and two younger brothers. Three of my siblings are married with their own families and one of my sisters is religious sister with the Queenship of Mary community. I grew up in a little town just east of Ottawa Ontario called Rockland.
Before I entered the seminary, I worked for a few years in the trades in the area of carpentry. Becoming a carpenter had been my dream since I was a young boy. Though I was perusing this trade, I felt the Holy Spirit calling me further to enter into full time ministry. So, in the Fall of 2010 I became a full-time missionary doing university campus ministry in Canada with an organization called Catholic Christian Outreach. Those three years as a missionary were incredible and during that time my heart burned with a fire for evangelization! During those three years the Lord was also stirring up in me a great desire for the priesthood. I can’t wait to get involved here at St. Patrick’s and to get to meet all of you as we journey together in the Lord! God Bless!
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias