I spoke with someone regarding our speaker situation in the church. We both agreed that the system we currently have is working pretty well for us, though we will be adding a small speaker that faces the sanctuary (altar) area so that Deacon Pat & I can hear better as all the speakers are currently facing the nave where the people sit. He made a couple of adjustments to my wireless microphone so that it won’t cut out (there was interference with something else) & raised the volume a little bit. But it seems that lectors, cantors & musicians are not always speaking close enough to the microphone or projecting their voice sufficiently as the feedback I received from several people was that most of us can be heard loud & clear but that some people have a voice that is on the softer side. So I’ll just ask the cantors & lectors to speak a bit louder & closer to the microphone but also ask you to give them some feedback (excuse the pun) if you are finding it difficult to hear or understand them.                                           

     I received a good response from people regarding the open positions we have for workers in the parish and believe we now have the people in place who will make good additions to our rectory and school staff. I just received an email from the Finance Office of the Diocese letting the priests know that they are aware that many of us are looking to hire more employees and offering their assistance so this is something commonplace in parishes throughout the Diocese. I do ask however that you also consider volunteering in the parish if you have a gift that you think would be beneficial for the community. It can be anything at all that you believe you are good at or that you enjoy doing. Just let me know what you may be interested in contributing & I’ll be happy to keep a list for future reference. We hear in the Scriptures that God gives everyone certain gifts and talents for the sake of the building up of the community. What a wonderful thing it is for me to hear someone say that they would like to contribute in some way, based on what God has given them. So please keep that in mind.                                               

     Last week I celebrated the funeral Mass for Irene Venesky, a long-time parishioner of St. Leo’s who has lived away from the parish in recent years due to her health. Irene was a very gentle soul who would help out with socials when we had First Communion and Confirmation celebrations and for other occasions. She donated several of the statues we have in our church in memory of her sister Catherine who died some years ago. May she now rest with the saints in God’s heavenly kingdom.
     We welcome three of our parish school students who received the sacraments of initiation at our Monday morning Mass last week: Alexandra, Andrea & John Tehoke. They were all baptized, confirmed and received their first Holy Communion during that Mass on Valentine’s Day, a good day to celebrate the love God has for them and the love we strive to have for God and for our neighbor. We are happy to have them as part of our Catholic Faith and as members of our parish community here at St. Leo’s.                                  

     Congratulations to the parents of Mila Rogers who is being baptized this Sunday after the 11am Mass. We also rejoice in her new relationship with Christ and the Church and ask God to bless her parents who will be her first and best teachers in the ways of faith. 
     This weekend we have our annual Catholic Charities Appeal. I can’t stress enough how important this is to the many needy people in our own Diocese who will benefit from our financial help. Thank you in advance for your generosity in meeting the needs of our neighbors.