As we gather this weekend, we bring the celebration of Catholic Schools throughout our diocese to conclusion. We, at St. Luke are privileged to have an excellent Catholic Pre-K. We have fifteen four-year-olds and nine three-year-olds in our program. We hope to add a third class in September. Under the direction of our principal, Jeannie Soltes, with our dedicated teachers and staff, our twenty-four little ones, receive a wonderful education in a Catholic centered environment; daily prayers and bible stories are included in the curriculum. The children visit me in the church on a regular basis and I enjoy teaching them age-appropriately about our Catholic faith. A big thank you to our children’s parents and grandparents for entrusting us with their children and grandchildren and empowering them to begin to develop Catholic values in their young lives. I welcome our little ones to the 9:30 am Mass this weekend as they participate at Mass and proudly help us to know how well they know their prayers. This Mass will be live streamed so that grandparents who live out of state can enjoy this beautiful celebration.
We are excited to announce that this year’s summer mission trip will take place in the Catholic Heart Workcamp in North Haledon, New Jersey near the border of Paterson. Under the direction of Dan and Mary Furnald, they provide daily transport and a safe living environment with constant supervision where our young people will be guided in ways to interact and help the poor. The dates are July 17th -22nd and we invite all high school parents to encourage their children to consider joining this life changing mission trip. Please contact Nina directly for further information.
Last Tuesday, I completed our final bereavement group session. I am grateful to Mike, Doreen and Anne who provided support for our wonderful group. Please continue to keep our bereaved in prayer.
In the last year, our Bishop and many priests throughout the diocese have had their email accounts compromised. Recently, Fr. Hubert and I have had inquiries from parishioners as to an email supposedly from us asking for money or food vouchers. These emails, of course, are totally fraudulent. We would never send an email looking for money or gift cards. We would ask directly. Please delete all such emails immediately.
As we celebrate Black History month, let’s continue to be sensitive to the history of slavery and the challenges and difficulties endured by many African Americans. Bit by bit in our country, we strive to be more aware of the injustice and persecution and the struggle continues today. Next week, I will write about how we at St. Luke through prayer and education can bring the light of Christ to this painful topic.
Thursday, February 3 was the Feast of St. Blaise. We will bless all the throats of the faithful after Masses this weekend.