Friday, July 22, 2011 at 4:36AM We welcome all visitors and anyone who has recently moved into our community. We invite you to become members of our parish. If you are interested in joining, or have any questions, please contact the parish office.
Friday, July 22, 2011 at 4:32AM Our Lady of Lourdes Church offers Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for your sacrificial giving. For more information, please contact Rosanne in the parish office.
Friday, July 22, 2011 at 4:22AM The new gardens by St. Francis look great!
Friday, July 22, 2011 at 4:21AM Many thanks to Paul Piazza, Jr. and his volunteer team for preparing and serving the Cabrini Partnership Client Picnic.
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 4:10PM
In last week’s parish bulletin I wrote about the Apostle to theGentiles, Saint Paul. I wrote of his dramatic conversion to become a follower of Jesus. His conversion was celebrated on January25th. That event prompted me to reflect again on the way that men and women become members of the Church in today’s world. That process is dramatic in its own way. On Monday evenings from September until the Easter Vigil Celebration, our parish participates in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). During thsoe months we will help a group of people to become members of the Catholic Church. The preparation is more than a program. It is an initiation into what it means to be a Catholic and how to live as a Catholic. This initiation calls for the sacrifice of time and energy for those who participate in it. The personal rewards can make it a time of welcome renewal in one’s life. That is true not only for the candidates of initiation, but for those who serve as personal or parish sponsors for those in the RCIA. Interested people generously take part in the initiation process. They take seriously the time in which they prepare themselves to become members of the Church. Each person who asks to become Catholic asks a dedicated Catholic to serve as their personal sponsor, to walk with them through the initiation. The parish also has general representative sponsors to help the whole group through theinitiation. Those who have served as sponsors in the past will gladly tell anyone what the RCIA has meant for them. In our Monday evening meetings there is always a lesson that is taught on some Church Teaching. It usually draws out questions from the candidates. Time is set aside to relax and come to know each other better and learn something of the traditional practices of the church, for example the sign of the cross and what it means. There is also some time given to write out questions that a person may not want to speak publicly. Those are often the most challenging of questions. Deacon Michael, Sister Ellen and I are eager to answer those questions.
Another important element of the RCIA is to integrate the participants into the life of the church. Periodically through the year the participants are asked to stand before the congregation to receive a blessing or formally to receive the sign of the cross and the Creed. It is a touching moment as the congregation welcomes these people into our midst. With this brief explanation in mind I would ask two things of you who are members of the Church. First, pray for those who are participants in the RCIA. Pray that the same Spirit that touched St. Paul might touch the hearts of these people. Secondly, if you know someone who might be interested in becoming a Catholic, give them this bulletin and tell them to think about it. May the Holy Spirit come upon our RCIA participants. -Fr. Charlie Froehle- Published in the bulletin on January 30th, 2011
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