Greetings Everyone.

 

Let me insert something here at the very beginning lest you think that this introductory column gets stale and rarely updated. I wanted to mention, contrary to the opinions of some, that our school is in no immediate danger of closing. A recent blurb in Faith Magazine, while it did not state that we were in danger, may have left the impression with some that we were, as they say,  "on the ropes" . Its simply not true. These are the facts. Holy Spirit Parish is coming off of an internal crisis that lasted about two years.  During that time, parish numbers, and school enrolment, declined. Last year at this time I was assigned to be the new pastor here. I was asked if I would give the school three more years to restore numbers and enjoy some growth of confidence. I said yes. I am a big supporter of Catholic Education and I have given my full backing to to all of our efforts to regain and maintain viability. Many people are working very hard  to make it happen. Having said that, we should note that the economy is bad, Catholic education is expensive, and enrolment in Catholic schools generally has gone down with smaller families, fewer teaching sisters, and increased costs. So we will all have to work harder and more efficiently, at all levels,  to make sure Catholic education continues to work. 

 

These sentiments did make  it to the most recent issue of Faith Magazine in a letter to the editor.

 

The annual Convocation of Priests took place up north at Shanty Creek. The topic was improved preaching. We all thought it was well presented and I trust we were all inspired to work even harder at this very important aspect of our ministry. As soon as I walked into my room i started sneezing, and two weeks later I am still struggling with the remnants of the cold. Most of the priests were coughing by the time the conference was over.

 

There was a Health Fair at the Convocation and while there I saw Fr Tim Nelson  with a stethoscope around his neck. Fr Tim was a cardiologist before becoming a priest. I figured, hey, what the heck, let's see what Fr./Dr. Tim has to say. So he listened to my heart, and said several times, " hmmmmm".

So I said, " eh, what' s up doc?" And he said, "eh, ya got a problem : AF "  ( That's Atrial Fibrillation, folks).  He recommended that I see a specialist ASAP. So I'm now on a blood thinner to prevent a stroke.  Turns out it's a very common condition for those approaching 60. Seeing that I have no other heart problem indicators, I am at low risk. Nevertheless, we follow doctor's orders. All this leads me to believe that a Health Fair at the parish might not be a bad idea. I have already consulted with our parish nurse ministry to consider the possibilities.

 

Our Parish Council is meeting again regularly after some time off.  It consists of members of  various committees and commissions as well as a few parishioners who will serve as independents. Remember that the parish council is mandated by Canon Law and is a consultive body to the pastor. Our new Council president is Joe Watza and our recording secretary is Char Curtis. Keep us all in your prayers as we attempt to guide our parish into the future.

 

Oh, by the way, we expect that our new bishop, Earl Boyea, will be visiting with us soon as part of his program to visit all diocesan parishes. Check our calendar soon to confirm the date.

 

 Our Movie Nite for November  was  Brother Son, Sister Moon, the story of St Francis of Assisi. There was a fascinating coincidnece in that there was a scene in the movie that took place  in the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the home of the popes up till the time of their fleeing Rome to Avignon in France.  It was the feast of The Dedication of St John Lateran Basilica. St Francis  came to the visit the pope seated in his "cathedra", the  Chair of Peter at  the big church. The next Movie Nite will be a showing of the movie, The Nativity, a commercial movie that was in the theaters only a few years ago.  

 

I am also pleased to announce a date for our second annual Trivia Nite. It will be Saturday, November 22nd.  That's this week!! So please come . We are planning on a guest presenter from the  Detroit Tigers. The idea is for one person to organise a table of 8. There will be 10 categories of trivia questions that the tables discuss among themselves and then compete for prizes. Its great fun. 

 

In Holy Week, 2009, you  can look forward to our second annual Shroud of Turin Exhibit.  Click here to see our special page on this website to view our info on the Shroud believed by many to be the actual burial shroud of Jesus.   

 

Next spring we will be having a guest talk on "Salvation Comes from The Jews" . Roy Schoeman authored a book by that name, actually a quote from teh Gospels, as well as another book, Honey from the Rock. It will be a two day visit. Day two will be his conversion story.