Dear Parishioners,

I was saddened to hear of the unexpected death of Richard Ferraro, whose funeral I celebrated last Monday. I remember saying hello to him and shaking his hand…a weekly routine… when he was at Mass the previous weekend. He was married to Shirley for 57 years, and she too passed away suddenly in January of last year (2022). Both of them were faithful to each other, to God, and to their family of 3 daughters and several grandchildren. His family will remember their Sunday family dinners with him, which he always enjoyed, along with walks in the park. He served in the Army for 4 years and so we are grateful for his service to our country. Both Rich and Shirley were gentle people who always smiled with kindness in their hearts and they will be missed. Please keep them both in your prayers as well as their grieving family.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our parish picnic this Sunday which will take place in the shrine area (weatherpermitting) or in our gym (Lux Hall) in case of inclement weather. Remember our large and juicy hamburgers & hot dogs are on us, so feel free to bring something to share, but this is not required. We just want you to enjoy spending time with your fellow parishioners. It will begin at Noon (or after the 11am Mass) & end at 2pm. Please join us.

Speaking of the gym, we are having a handicap accessible ramp built into the steps where you enter Lux Hall from outside, as it was cumbersome to take a long trip through the side entrance of the school, through the cafeteria & the 2 hallways of the school building in order to get access to the gym, so we hope you will find this helpful. A little wall will be built in as well in order to sit down there. New sidewalks will be installed and the crumbled curbs will be replaced as well.

I haven’t forgotten about the planned trip to Italy, but I believe it will be better to wait until 2025 to make our presence known again there as it will give many more people time to save up for the trip. But 2025 is also a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church so that would be a great time to visit Italy again. Normally they are held every 25 years but Pope Francis had one celebrated 10 years ago in 2015 in order to celebrate God’s mercy. A Jubilee Year is a special time of grace when the Church offers a plenary indulgence or the remission of sins for oneself or for a deceased relative. The importance of a Jubilee Year is also recognized and respected by other faiths throughout the world. It begins just before Christmas and lasts just a little over a year as it ends on Epiphany the following year. It is celebrated by opening a holy door on each of the 4 major basilicas in Rome. So I would like anyone who is interested to meet with me on Sunday, September 3 rd after the 11am Mass in the Parish Center. We’ll just spend a few minutes reviewing 2 possible itineraries given to me by the two travel agencies I’ve used most recently, Trinity Tours (Holy Land Pilgrimage in 2022) & NAWAS International (Italy Tour in 2023). No commitment is being asked…this is just for those who may be interested in more information. Planning ahead will be necessary due to the increased demand to be in Italy during the Jubilee Year and it would behoove us (I love using that word) to plan early so they can book the best hotels, etc. Again, I am looking at going to the city of Rome but also take a look at some places south of Rome as well. But it’s really all up to you and I am open to suggestions, so please mark the date & join me on September 3rd at Noon.

Fr. James P. Schmitz