On Sunday we begin our parish "week of mercy" with the opening session of our parish mission. I hope we have a full church this evening when Fr. Page and Fr. Larry begin the mission. By Tuesday evening you will have a deeper understanding of the way St. Francis practiced mercy and tried to make this gift available to as many as possible.
As I mentioned in my recent letter to you, we will hold the Tuesday evening mass behind the bell tower shrine, unless the weather is too hot, windy or rainy. In those cases, we will have the mass in church. There will be chairs set out in the lawn, but if you have a portable lawn chair, I encourage you to bring it.
On Wednesday, following the mission, we'll form a caravan at 8:00 am to Blessed Sacrament Cathedral to visit the Holy Door. Make sure that you let us know when you sign up if you need a ride. This time has been reserved just for our parish. Mass is scheduled as part of our visit.
And finally, to conclude our week of mercy, comes our annual parish picnic on the feast of the Transfiguration next Sunday after the noon mass. Have you signed up yet? Please do so after mass today, so that we can know how much food to prepare. Don't forget that the Motor City Brass Band will perform a special concert for us during the picnic. They are a fabulously talented band, and I know you will enjoy their music.