Brothers and Sisters in Christ – From the Book of Maxims by St. Isidore, we read: “Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible … If (one) wants to be always in God’s company, (one) must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us. All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection.” This week I’ll leave for my annual retreat at St. Joseph Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. I’ve been taking my annual retreat there for 15 years. The Abbey is home to a group of Trappist monks. The property is hundreds of acres of rolling hills. Situated on the highest hill is the Abbey church, monastery, and a retreat house that holds just 12 retreatants. During the week I enter into the rhythm of the monastic life. At 6:00 a.m. the Abbey bells ring out calling us to morning prayer followed by Mass. We pray four other times before the day ends. Once a day the retreat leader (a monk) gives a short talk on a spiritual topic. The rest of the day is spent praying, reading, taking long walks, and I always sneak in an afternoon nap. I absolutely love the silence. Silence has always been an important part of my spiritual life. To shut out the world and all of its noise, and to spend the week focused on God and my spiritual life, is a true gift. I cherish this week. I look forward to it every year. When I drive onto the property my heart leaps for joy. There is nothing better than just being quiet and being totally attuned to God and what He wants to say to me. I use this week to reflect on the state of my spiritual life, my sinfulness, my growth, and where I need to continue working on the call to holiness. If you’ve never taken a retreat, I encourage you to consider doing so. Retreats take on many forms. There are silent retreats and also preached retreats in which there are daily meetings with a spiritual director. Some go on a 30-day retreat. There are retreats just for men and just for women. We all need to carve out time to be with the Lord and tend to our souls. I promise to remember the parish community in my daily prayers. I certainly ask you to remember me in yours. A few announcements: Vacation and Retreat … I’ll be away from May 4-10. Welcome … Fr. Michael Mathews, C.S.C. who will celebrate the Masses on Sunday, May 5. Fr. Michael and I are seminary classmates and have been friends for 30 years! He has been stationed at both St. Joseph and Holy Cross Parishes in South Bend. After parish ministry he answered the call of missionary service and worked in Uganda. He is currently the staff chaplain at the University of Notre Dame and the Director of Postulants at Moreau Seminary. St. A’s Prayer Group … The next meeting of the St. A’s Women’s Group will be Saturday, May 4 at 2:00 p.m. at Sr. Betty’s. Interested women can contact her at 574-309-1393 or [email protected]. Bible Study … St. A's will be hosting a Parish Bible Study at Kathleen Twyner-Coley's home in May for four Wednesdays (May 1 – 22) from 6:30-8:30pm. If you’re interested, please contact Kathleen at [email protected] for her home address. Spiritual Companions … A new ministry is beginning at St. A’s. The Sisters of the Holy Cross at St. Mary’s College would like to reach out to our homebound parishioners and be their spiritual companions through phone calls, conversation, and shared prayer. If you know of any homebound parishioner who would be interested, please let me know. I will then share their name and contact information with the Sisters. Please be sure to let our parishioner know that you’re going to share their name with me. The Catholic Home Mission Appeal … Will be Sunday, April 28. Nearly 40% of dioceses in the United States and its territories are considered mission territories because they are unable to fund essential pastoral activities needed in their communities. Your support funds religious education, seminary formation, lay ministry training, and other programs that build vibrant faith communities right here in the United States. Please be generous. An envelope for this collection can be found in your packets. If you are not an envelope user, place your donation in an envelope marked “Catholic Home Mission,” or that designation can be placed on the memo line of your check. Place all donations in our regular Sunday collection. THANK YOU for supporting this appeal. Annual Parish Picnic … Will be held from 1-6 p.m. on Sunday, August 25 at the St. Patrick County Park. Please mark your calendars. Cecilia Newbill has graciously accepted my invitation to be the chairwoman. Please volunteer to be a part of the planning committee so that we can make this day a success! You can give your name to me or Alfred Guillaume, our Parish Pastoral Council president, and we’ll pass it along to Cecilia. She’ll also be personally reaching out to parishioners. Parish Gardening Group … St. A's has started a gardening group to help beautify our church campus. Pleasecontact Sue Call at (574)440-7386 or [email protected] if you’re interested. All are welcome. Let us grow together in the LORD!
Parish Potluck Dinners … The first post pandemic St. A’s Potluck will be held on May 19, 4-6pm at the home of Alfred Guillaume and Melanie Smith-Guillaume, 14645 Stonington Court in Granger. As customary, please bring a dish to share (hot, cold, or dessert). Beverages will be provided. Children are welcome. Sign-up sheets are on the table in the church foyer. You can also send an email to Alfred at[email protected], or text at 574-315-1029. On sign-up sheets, please indicate your name, number in your party, what you are bringing to share, and your contact information. St. A’s St. Vincent de Paul Conference … Will meet on Sunday, April 28 from 9:15 – 10:30 a.m. in the parish basement. All members are encouraged to attend to greet new members and connect face-to-face. Anyone interested in learning about the work and mission of the group is encouraged to attend. If possible, please let Dan Mandell ([email protected]) know in advance if you will be able to join us. Catholic Charities Collection … On Mother’s Day weekend (May 12) we will have the annual collection for Catholic Charities. This is the principal human service agency of the Church in our diocese. The money received in this collection will be used to help those who are in need right here in the Diocese of Ft. Wayne – South Bend, Through our food pantries, assistance with rent, utilities, and mortgage payments, job training and housing assistance for refugees, mentoring programs for at-risk teens, mental health counseling, and support for those experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, Catholic Charities strives to share the love of Jesus with our brothers and sisters who are most in need. Please place your envelope in the regular collection. If you don’t use our parish envelopes, please place your donation in an envelope marked “Catholic Charities” or note that on the memo line of your check. THANK YOU for your generosity! Words of Gratitude … A note from Alexandra Buchlmayer: “Thank you so much for welcoming me to St. Augustine Parish on Palm Sunday. I want to thank the parishioners for being so generous and kind to me. Please continue to keep us aspirants in your prayers and know of my prayer for you and the parish.”