This was certainly a busy weekend. On Saturday August 28th the Knights of Columbus hosted a Block Party with food and drinks after the 4:00pm Mass. It was also a chance for parishioners to see each other and to meet the new pastor. If I remember correctly, it was our parish’s first get together since the beginning of the lockdowns. While we continue to monitor the situation, gatherings like this help life return to a bit of normalcy. A big thank you to our Knights for hosting and organizing this event.
On Sunday August 29th at the 10:30am Mass Bishop Tobin installed me as the pastor of St. Teresa Parish. It was an honor to have the bishop visit our parish, celebrate Mass, and preach. It is also an honor to be installed as your pastor. With God’s help and your prayers, I look forward to serving you as pastor. Thank you to everyone involved in the ceremony and the reception afterward.
Our parish school had its open house on Monday night. Despite rain and wind, the children, parents, teachers, administrators, and staff came to the school eager to begin another year. On Wednesday, August 25th we had our first day of school. We begin another year forming the next generation of scholars and statesmen, mothers and fathers, and, with God’s help, saints. Please pray for our school that we may have a successful and healthy year.
You may have seen the Stanley Steamer truck outside the garage. The company cleaned some of the upholstery and floors in the rectory. They also cleaned the chairs and kneelers in the sanctuary, as well as the rug in the sacristy. The sanctuary is the most important part of a church. They come in many different styles, sizes, and shapes. Usually, a step indicates the beginning of the sanctuary as it does in our church. It evokes the Holy of Holies of the Ancient Temple. In some examples, sanctuaries would be concealed by a screen (as seen in some churches in Europe) symbolizing the mysterious awe that should come when in the presence of the Almighty. It teaches us to be aware that we are in the presence of something utterly beyond our everyday experience. The visible sanctuary (as in our church’s case) evokes the direct experience of the Apostles on Mount Tabor. On the mountain, the Apostles could see the brilliance of Christ unhindered.
Just by way of reminder beginning next weekend (September 4th and 5th) we add another Mass to the schedule. The Saturday schedule will remain unchanged, but Sunday’s new Mass schedule will be: 7:30am, 9:00am, and 10:30am. At this time, we will not be restarting the Sunday, 5:00pm Mass.