First of all, thanks be to God for all who participated in and supported financially the goal of funding more Cancer Research at U.A.M.S. through the Village Cancer Walk. Thanks as well to our parishioner Carolyn Bowers for doing such a great job as co-chair of this event. For those able to come there was much entertainment and a hope-filled spirit in both cancer survivors and those whose loved one or ones have contracted cancer with sometimes a fatal outcome.
I was given a front row seat as the Spa City Senior Tappers performed and I was surprised when Carolyn Bowers gave me a recognition award for my efforts to promote the Walk with our parishioners and support in other ways. I was humbled by this presentation in front of all the attendees that day and later on I considered what good "publicity" that was for our wonderful parish and in general for Catholicism. During the activities of the day, one person shared with me her "long ago" roots in the Catholic Faith and said she was considering becoming an active and fully initiated Catholic in the future. Fortunately, she is good friends with one of our parishioners and hopefully that connection will lead our parishioners and hopefully that connection will lead our parishioner to bring her to our "inquiry" gathering this coming Thursday (October 7) at 6:00 p.m. or Thursday (October 14) at the same time.
After running into a man at Coronado Golf Course this past Monday who said he was "christened" Catholic, I'm convinced there are not only people out there who were catechized and received all of the Sacraments of Initiation and at some point left the Church, but also people who were "baptized" as babies in the Catholic faith out of their parents fear of "limbo" but were never raised as Catholics. These people and others are prime (or at least potential) candidates to discover the blessings of having the Lord, Jesus Christ and His Church in their day to day lives.
PLEASE be the evangelizers we are all called to be through our Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion and bring one (or more) people to one of our introductory sessions on the dates listed above. Just as there are serious consequences if we lead people away from Jesus and into sin (see Mk. 9:43), so there are MANY blessings for us and them when we lead people to the Lord.
I was given a front row seat as the Spa City Senior Tappers performed and I was surprised when Carolyn Bowers gave me a recognition award for my efforts to promote the Walk with our parishioners and support in other ways. I was humbled by this presentation in front of all the attendees that day and later on I considered what good "publicity" that was for our wonderful parish and in general for Catholicism. During the activities of the day, one person shared with me her "long ago" roots in the Catholic Faith and said she was considering becoming an active and fully initiated Catholic in the future. Fortunately, she is good friends with one of our parishioners and hopefully that connection will lead our parishioners and hopefully that connection will lead our parishioner to bring her to our "inquiry" gathering this coming Thursday (October 7) at 6:00 p.m. or Thursday (October 14) at the same time.
After running into a man at Coronado Golf Course this past Monday who said he was "christened" Catholic, I'm convinced there are not only people out there who were catechized and received all of the Sacraments of Initiation and at some point left the Church, but also people who were "baptized" as babies in the Catholic faith out of their parents fear of "limbo" but were never raised as Catholics. These people and others are prime (or at least potential) candidates to discover the blessings of having the Lord, Jesus Christ and His Church in their day to day lives.
PLEASE be the evangelizers we are all called to be through our Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion and bring one (or more) people to one of our introductory sessions on the dates listed above. Just as there are serious consequences if we lead people away from Jesus and into sin (see Mk. 9:43), so there are MANY blessings for us and them when we lead people to the Lord.