Father John's Letter to the Parishioners September 24, 2006
I hope these words find you well and that your summer was a restful and satisfying one. As many of our families return from taking vacations, children return to their schools, and many of us return to work, there is a sense of newness in the air. We are reminded that every day, regardless of whether it’s the start of a new academic year or the start of a new work week, is a gift from God.
It is in this spirit of newness and thanksgiving that I am writing to tell you that this fall we will be engaged in an initiative to enhance our overall understanding of parish life and what it means to be part of a parish today in 2007. The theme for this fall will be “God’s House / Our Home.”
When we think of the term “God’s House,” I can recall my childhood and how my parents would remind me to be respectful and quiet in God’s house or my parish of Sacred Heart in the Vailsburg section of Newark. What terms and ideas come to mind for you when you think of “God’s House?” While our ideas may be different, Our Lady of Lourdes Church is where we gather to meet Christ in the Real Presence each and every week. What a great place to be!
When we think of the term “Our Home,” I immediately think of the family gathering around the dining room table for the holidays like Thanksgiving. That table was used only on special occasions. I felt a sense of love, peace, warmth and safety about what “home” is all about. But I also know that home means caring and maintaining my home so that all my family members can enjoy it. Home is much more than the bricks and mortar, walls and doors, the radiators, ceilings and floors but is also the space and the people who occupy that space. What does the word “home” imply for you and your family?
Last year, we made an effort to ‘spruce up’ the house. The work done on the church, hall and school buildings gave us all the opportunity to assure that the ‘house’ was in order and would be for the future. This season we will look at this theme as a parish family to see what we can do to welcome more family members to God’s House, which is our home. For that matter, do we all feel welcomed in God’s House – have we made it into a home? Also, what does it take to keep our parish home of Our Lady of Lourdes thriving and serving others into the future.
Finally, please mark your calendars with the following dates:
Wednesday, October 17th at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 20th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On those two days we will have a special speaker among us to help us break open this theme of “God’s House / Our Home.” I am excited to have him with us for those two days and I am sure you will enjoy his talks. More information on these dates, our speaker and other related activities will be forthcoming.
For now, I ask for your prayers as we strive to venerate and care for God’s House while we welcome and minister to all who join us at the great Sunday feast in “Our Home” of Our Lady of Lourdes.
