Welcome home to all those who went to Orlando for the National Black Catholic Congress. I hope it was at least as good as the one here in Indiana five years ago.
I want to thank Bill Dillon for preparing our Annual Financial Report. It is available by the Bulletins in the foyer. If you have any questions, let us know. I also want to thank all of you for being so generous. Once again the parish income was more than the expenses.
You can start to plan ahead for our Annual Parish Picnic. I have reserved our usual space at St. Patrick's County Park for Sunday, August 27, 2017. We have the picnic as close to the Feast of St. Augustine as possible. That date is
August 28. Guess what? With our picnic this year we will begin our 90th year as a parish, since we were established as a parish in the diocese in 1928. Time really flies when you are having fun.
Our first reading today from the Prophet Isaiah goes very well with Jesus' parable in today's Gospel. The rain and the snow come down from heaven to make the seeds grow which leads to bread to eat . God says: "So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it."
In the Gospel Jesus, the Word of God, tells us the parable of the sower and the seeds. He is the sower and his words are the seed. We are the soil. Jesus offers his message to all. Some hear it but don't understand it. Some hear it and follow it for a while but fall away. Some hear it but become more concerned with worldly matters and let riches choke
it off. But the good news is that the word is heard by many and grows. "The one who hears the word and understands it, indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." Hopefully we are in this last group. However, as life goes on sometimes we fall into one or other of the other groups, too. Let us pray that when we do, we will be able to work our way back to Jesus.
In our second reading St. Paul tells the Romans and us about suffering and expectations. "We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that , but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies." Life isn't always easy, but it is easier when we walk through it with Jesus at our side.
The church is always in need of good shepherds. We need more priests, deacons, religious sisters and religious brothers. As I've stated before, if you think you have one of these vocations in the church, I am always willing to
talk with you about it and to point you where you need to go with it. Did you know there are two different types of priests, diocesan and religious? Diocesan seminarians study for a particular diocese, like Fort Wayne/South Bend. They are ordained for that diocese and usually spend their priestly ministry in that diocese. Religious Community priests take vows in their community and are then ordained in and for that community, like Holy Cross, Jesuits and Franciscans. They then minister where ever their community has missions.
As Deacon Mel mentions in The Youth Corner, we are looking at having an RCIA class starting in the fall and finishing at Easter next year. If there is anyone interested in becoming Catholic or anyone who is Catholic but missed a sacrament along the way, please see me or Deacon Mel and we can plan accordingly.
Let us continue to pray for peace in the world. Let us also pray for vocations to the church. Let us pray for the sick of the parish. Let us pray that all will come to respect life. Let us pray for one another and for the canonization of Father Tolton.