A reminder to all those going on the trip to the Holy Land in May…if you like, you can join us this Friday (April 1st) at the Fish Fry so that we can meet those who will be joining us on this pilgrimage. We’ll meet there at 5:30pm. Lobster tails will also be available, but you must get your order in soon as Monday, March 28th will be the last day that tickets for those will be sold. But if lobster tails aren’t your thing (and why wouldn’t they be?), you can still join us for our wonderful fish meals. So hope to see many of you there. Tables will be reserved in the back of the gym (by the in-wall image of St. Leo the Great). 
     One of our long-time parishioners, Eileen Gabel, will be moving to her son’s home (in Dover, Ohio) in May. Eileen has been a very active member of our parish and has served us so generously and well over the years…she has worked hard in our St. Vincent de Paul Ministry, has ordered the candles we use in the church and has been a money counter…and I’m sure many other acts of service as well. I want to let her know how much we appreciate all that she has done for us and assure her that even though she will be living outside of the parish boundaries, she will always be considered a member of our parish community. Please keep Eileen in your prayers as she makes this move.
     I recently read a book by a young man named Brandon Vogt, who works with the Word on Fire Ministry founded by Bishop Robert Barron, whom I mention frequently as a great evangelizer. Brandon’s book is called “Return: How to Draw your Child back to the Church.” Over the years, I have heard the frustration and seen the sadness of many parents whose children and/or grandchildren no longer practice the Catholic Faith that was so diligently passed on to them. Many people mourn the loss of loved ones who have abandoned the faith of their youth. Brandon’s book offers not only understanding toward those who have experienced this lack of faith in people they care about, but also offers very practical suggestions for how to help them return to the faith that is so important in our own lives. Here are some stark and difficult facts: One third of people raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic today. Attendance at Mass is only a paltry 24% on any given Sunday. One third of the millennial generation claims no religious affiliation and only 16% identify as Catholic. (The overall Catholic population has remained relatively stable but this is mostly a result of immigration). And so Brandon notes that “The parable of the prodigal son is being reenacted every day in homes across the country as millions of mothers and fathers wait for their children to come home to the Church.” But the good news is that the author offers practical strategies that will create the best possible environment to facilitate a child’s return to the Church. I found the book to be hopeful and very helpful to me as I pray for the people in my own life (including several family members) who no longer practice their faith. I want you to find this hope and help as well so I have ordered several copies of this book which I am making available to whomever wants it free of charge. It is well worth the money we would (and should) be spending on our parish evangelization efforts, which must begin with our own family members. I will have these books available at the Information Desk in the vestibule of the church as well as in the rectory office, so just let a staff member know you would like one. If we run out, I’ll order more. I hope you will find this book as helpful as I did and I’ll pray that it may allow you to be an effective minister of reconciliation to those who have wandered from the fold.