Thanks to the volunteers who helped rearrange and store the Christmas decorations a few weeks ago. I am happy to say that the poinsettias are still doing well and so they have remained decorating the church. While it is no longer Christmas it is appropriate to have them around until February 2nd the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
On two practical notes: First, the kitchen exhaust hood in our parish hall was recently cleaned, inspected and serviced. I look forward to using it more in the coming months. Second, the rectory has a new copier. The old one had served us well for eight years but was printing black lines across every piece of printed paper (perhaps you received one of these abominations in the past few months). Unfortunately, there were no parts to fix it. Fortunately, our new printer runs very well.
Next Sunday our parish school will host its annual open house. It gives prospective families a chance to see the good work that goes on at the school. Please pray for the success of the open house and for prospective new families and students.
On Thursday this week we celebrate the memorial of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr. During his lifetime he was known for curing many ailments of the throat. A popular devotion to him, and a way to seek his intercession, is the practice of blessing throats on his feast day. So after Mass on Thursday we will have the blessing of throats at the end of the 7:15am Mass.
Finally, I ask for your continued prayers for the end of the pandemic. The statistics are encouraging and may signal that the new wave has peaked and is on the wane. I look forward to the day when covid precautions, like masks, will be removed. For now, I ask that we follow the governor’s order, while respecting both those who wear masks and those who do not.