I mentioned at the masses last weekend that the first week of August will be a very special one for our parish. I mentioned in particular that we would host a special Holy Year mission from July 31 to August 2. Later it occurred to me that some may have wondered just what a parish mission is, especially since last weekend our youth group collected money for its mission trip to West Virginia.
Parish missions are known as times when a visiting preacher (or missionary) comes to conduct a time of renewal. We in the parish are on the receiving end of someone else's missionary work. We will be especially blessed to have two of Pope Francis' missionaries of mercy to lead us in renewal: Fr. Larry Zurek and Fr. Page Polk. The two evening sessions and the final evening mass begin at 7:00 pm.
An update on my last Sunday announcement: our trip to Blessed Sacrament Cathedral: I mentioned last week that we had Saturday reservations. As it turns out, the times we wanted were already taken by other groups. Our new time is Wednesday morning, August 3rd. You will soon see sign-up forms in the gathering area. We plan to share rides to the Cathedral that morning.
Next week Fr. Joe Hund, OFM comes to stay with us while vacationing with his family in the Detroit area. You'll see him at the masses, sometimes helping us out while I am away.