This Sunday is celebrated as Boy Scout Sunday in the church throughout our country. Girl Scout Sunday is observed on March 10th. Our Lady of Mercy has recently taken on the sponsorship of Cub Scout Pac #123 and Boy Scout Troop #849. These groups were previously sponsored by a local grammar school and a now defunct church. Bishop Conlon is a big supporter of scouting troops, so it is a pleasure to welcome these scouting programs to OLM. For information about when, where and what time they meet contact: Jamie Patzer Johnson (jelf@yahoo.com) for the Cub Scout Pac and Tim Hickey (hicmin@gmail.com or 224.805.1919) for the Boy Scout Troop. Again, we welcome these organizations to our parish and look forward to supporting the character building nature of scouting in these boys and young men.

We are thrilled that ALPHA has gotten off to a great start! And despite the inclement weather on the first Tuesday and first Thursday sessions there was a great turn-out! And so much thanks and appreciation goes to Len Eickhoff, Sylvester from Buck Services and the other guys that helped set-up and take down. The fantastic home-cooked meals by Mimi and Dan Tse and their amazing crew were lovingly served to the ALPHA guests by the ALPHA team of hosts, greeters and helpers. And a special thank you to Zara Tan for coordinating the ALPHA program for Our Lady of Mercy Parish.

Last week the Church in the United States celebrated Catholic Schools Week. The theme being “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed. Many of the Catholic grammar schools and high schools in our area held open houses. One thing to keep in mind is that Catholic parochial education is not merely private education. It is a ministry of the Church that fundamentally prepares young Catholics to live out their faith throughout the course of their lives. While we here at Our Lady of Mercy do not have a parochial grammar school, we do help families who want to send their children to a Catholic School with the cost of tuition. If you don’t currently send your child(ren) to a Catholic School and would like to, please contact me.

On January 26th we celebrated the Sacrament of First Reconciliation with 140 of our parish children. We pray that they will always feel God’s love and forgiveness and never shy away from receiving the sacrament throughout their lives. Thanks to the parents and catechists who helped prepare them to receive the sacrament.

Mark your calendars NOW! This is an event you and your family will not want to miss!! Our Lady of Mercy parish is hosting world famous singer, songwriter, author and inspirational speaker Tatiana “Tajci” Cameron who will perform a musical concert “I Thirst – The Crucifixion Story.” The concert is on Friday, April 5th at 7:00PM (two weeks before Good Friday). There is no charge and EVERYONE is invited. A free-will offering will be taken.

Have a Blessed Week!

Fr Don