July 11 – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

WE’RE STEPPING OUT IN FAITH!

 In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends his disciples on mission telling them to take NOTHING with them.  In other words, to trust in Divine Providence that their needs will be taken care of.  And so it is with us at Our Lady of Mercy!  We trust that the needs of the parish, God will provide for through the generosity of our parishioners.  Today I want to share with you a message about the financial status of our parish, as the fiscal year 2020-2021 ended on June 30, 2021.  I am pleased to inform you that we did have a positive end to the fiscal year primarily for four reasons – continued generosity of our parishioners, a reduction in staff salaries, a reduction of expenses due to a lack of use of the facilities, and reception of a PPP loan, which has been forgiven.

I want to say a word of profound thanks to all of you who, during the pandemic were able to continue your Sunday contributions, especially through online giving.  Prior to the pandemic, our average Sunday collection was $32,000 weekly.  During the pandemic and currently, our average Sunday collection is $27,200 weekly.  As I said, we were able to weather that loss in income for the reasons mentioned above.

The new fiscal year 2021 – 2022 just began on July 1^st.  With most Covid protocols no longer in effect and capacity restrictions lifted, we are gearing up for a return of in-person participation at Mass and our parish organizations and ministries. This will require the re-hiring of custodial services from Buck Services and daily maintenance of the building in addition to purchasing supplies for organizations and ministries. We are re-organizing our RE staff and office and are planning to hire an additional youth minister to focus especially on evangelizing our teens.

So, here is where we are stepping out in faith!  To cover these expenses in our new fiscal year, our financial council has budgeted our average Sunday collection to be $30,000 weekly – an increase of $2,800 from where we have been during the pandemic, but still short of the $32,000 we were averaging prior to the pandemic.  It would be great to get back to that pre-pandemic level!  But, we feel with our faith in you, we will reach our goal of $30,000 weekly!

God bless all of you for however you can support OLM financially and with your time and talent, and with your prayers!

Father Don

July 4 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today, with parades, fireworks and barbecues we celebrate our Independence – an Independence which was won and is maintained by the sacrifice of many lives.  However, our independence is not absolute.  Our nation was founded on belief in God.  Our Independence is DEPENDENT on God.  This dependence on God is clearly stated in our Declaration of Independence.  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with inalienable rights….And it ends “with a firm reliance on Divine Providence we pledge our lives, our fortunes and our honor…..”  As a nation founded on belief in God, our President takes the oath of office by placing his/her hand on the Bible, the Word of God, and ends with, “So help me God..”  In our pledge of allegiance we say, “One nation under God.”  Engraved on our money is “In God we trust.”  Our Congress has a chaplain, begins each session with a prayer and provides for chaplains for the Military.

Our Founding Fathers may have opted for a separation of Church and State but not for a separation of God and State.  There is no brotherhood of man without the Fatherhood of God.  The division of life into the sacred and the secular is a false dichotomy.  There is not now, there never was and there never will be the purely secular, that is, anyone or anything which is not dependent on God.  Atheistic capitalism would suffer the same fate as atheistic communism.

What the Constitution guarantees is not freedom FROM religion but freedom OF religion, freedom to practice religion.  Thankfully, we can choose to let the values of the kingdom of God have an influence on the values of our nation.  We can choose to accept the peace and healing of Christ that they bring peace and healing to our country.  We can receive the body and blood of the Lord so that all the children at God’s table will be fed and receive their due in life.  As we come together to celebrate the Eucharist, we become Christ’s body, to be in the world and serve it, but not to be totally of it.  We are thankful for our country and our independence, but as Christians, we must remember our ultimate home, now and forever, is elsewhere.  While we may be citizens of the United States, our ultimate citizenship is in heaven!

I wish to express my thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers at the time of my surgery on June 10.  The surgery to remove my cancerous thyroid went well.  I will in the near future need to have the radioactive iodine treatment, and then the process of getting the right dosage of thyroid replacement medication determined.  Thanks as well to those who sent cards and prayer enrollments.  I appreciate your concern!

Happy Independence Day!

Father Don

 

June 27 – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

At this time of the year, parishes throughout the Diocese often experience a change in staff.  OLM is no exception.  It is with mixed feelings that I announce that Jean Rehmer who has worked as secretary in our Religious Education office for the past 18 years is retiring at the end of June.  I say mixed feelings because retirement is a happy thing to look forward to, but Jean will be sorely missed!  Jean has been a huge behind the scenes support to our staff, catechists, and leaders in the Junior High (EDGE) and High School (LIGHT) religious education programs for our parish youth and teens.  Taking care of all the details for Confirmation and many other celebrations and programs, Jean has been the one to answer all your calls and questions.  She has especially enjoyed meeting and working with our parish youth and teens, always offering support and encouragement to them.  Jean has also worked with and coordinated the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) for the past 15 years.  She has also covered the parish office reception desk and answered phones when needed.  Jean has always been gracious and willing to perform any needed tasks.

Jean and her husband Deacon Phil (who retired a few months ago) have also been great witnesses to their faith.  Members of OLM for 28 years, both volunteered in baptismal preparation ministry for many years.  Jean also was a catechist for several years prior to employment at OLM.  Both Jean and Deacon Phil have been powerful witnesses to justice and peace ministry with their commitment to Hesed House and PADS.  They will continue to coordinate our Hesed House/PADS ministry at OLM during their retirement.

So, Jean, we thank you for all you have done for us at OLM and wish you all the best in your retirement!

God Bless Jean Rehmer!

Have a blessed week!

Father Don

 

June 26 – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

At this time of the year, parishes throughout the Diocese often experience a change in staff. OLM is no exception. It is with mixed feelings that I announce that Jean Rehmer who has worked as a secretary in our Religious Education office for the past 18 years is retiring at the end of June. I say mixed feelings because retirement is a happy thing to look forward to, but Jean will be sorely missed! Jean has been a huge behind the scenes support to our staff, catechists, and leaders in the Junior High (EDGE) and High School (LIGHT) religious education programs for our parish youth and teens. Taking care of all the details for Confirmation and many other celebrations and programs, Jean has been the one to answer all your calls and questions. She has especially enjoyed meeting and working with our parish youth and teens, always offering support and encouragement to them. Jean has also worked with and coordinated RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) for the past 15 years. She has also covered the parish office reception desk and answered phones when needed. Jean has always been gracious and willing to perform any needed tasks.

Jean and her husband Deacon Phil (who retired a few months ago) have also been great witnesses to their faith. Members of OLM for 28 years, both volunteered in baptismal preparation ministry for many years. Jean also was a catechist for several years prior to employment at OLM. Both Jean and Deacon Phil have been powerful witnesses to justice and peace ministry with their commitment to Hesed House and PADS. They will continue to coordinate our Hesed House/PADS ministry at OLM during their retirement.

So, Jean, we thank you for all you have done for us at OLM and wish you all the best in your retirement!

God Bless Jean Rehmer!

Have a blessed week!

Father Don

June 20 – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This being Father’s Day, we extend a special greeting of gratitude not only to our dads, but also to our Spiritual Father, Fr. James Guarascio.  Today is Fr. James’ first anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.  From his “spiritual grandfather” I want to tell him what a delight it has been to have him minister with me here at Our Lady of Mercy.  His humor, enthusiasm for the priesthood and love for the Church has truly been an inspiration for me.  He will be a great pastor…..probably within the next three years!!

We also extend this blessing to all our Father’s…….

Blessed are You, Lord and Father of All life, who has given to us the gift of the father of our family.  Today we honor him, and we thank You for the numerous good things that are ours because of him.

His love for us has been a sign of Your divine affection and a sharing in Your holy love.  His continuous concern for our needs and welfare is a mirror of Your holy providence.  And so, as we honor him, we praise You, Father of All Peoples.

Bless him this day with Your strength and holy power that he may continue to be a sign of You, our God, and a priestly parent to our family.  May we who have the honor of bearing his family name do so with great pride.

May we, the members of his family, assist him in his holy duties as a parent with our respect, our obedience and our deep affection.

Bless him, Lord, with happiness and good health, with peace and with good fortune, so that he who has shared of his very life may live forever with You, his God and heavenly Father.

This blessing and all graces, we pray, descend upon the father of our family: in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  +Amen.

(Blessing Prayer reprinted with permission:  “Prayers for the Domestic Church” by Edward Hays”  Forest of Peace Publishing, Leavenworth, KS)

Happy Father’s Day!

Father Don