Parish News The Attitude of Gratitude It is not possible to properly thank all the people who made the 20th Anniversary Celebration such a blessed and joyful celebration! This is just a partial list! We should all be thankful for: Brooks Gordon-for his wonderful organizational skills. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring together the Youth Band Jam and the Sunday Picnic; and for all the volunteers who stepped forward to help Brooks. The youth who supported the Band Jam on Saturday. the Knights of Columbus, who fed us so well on Sunday. Parish Council members who helped out with the games and activities. all who came and supported the performances of Damien and attended the picnic. Juanita Walker, who shared her unique perspective on the history of this parish at all the liturgies this weekend (her booklet of memories is available to order). Fr. Dan, for his inspiring performance of Damien. It gave us all a glimpse of a major influence on his priesthood. And finally, thanks to Fr. John, who founded the parish and imbued it with spirit that lives on today.

From The Pastor

            Last weekend Juanita Walker, who worked with Fr. John Leonard in founding this parish, reminded us of the Vatican II statement that Jesus Christ is present in the Word, the Eucharist and in the People gathered.  That concept has been at the core of this parish ever since.  It is reflected as well in the Mission statement that you see right next to this letter on the cover of our bulletin every week: To be the presence of Christ….

            The Church Council we call Vatican II met for its first session on October 11, 1962.  It was the first gathering of the Pope with essentially all the Bishops since Roman times. The First Vatican Council met from 1868-1870 when it was suspended indefinitely (it was never reconvened). Vatican II picked up that agenda and, due to the modern ease of travel, the Bishops of the world were able to be present at that gathering.

            One of the most amazing things about Vatican II was the results of the “votes” on the various documents.  The last “solemn” vote on each of the documents was amazingly lopsided.  The Decree on the Media of Social Communication reflects the most “split” vote – 1,960 to 164 (92% in favor).  On the other hand, the votes on the two documents, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops and Decree on the Lay Apostolate were the most “lopsided” – 2319 to 2 and 2305 to 2, respectively (99.9% in favor).

            This makes these documents immensely important since they represent the thoughts of the Pope in union with substantially ALL the bishops of the Church.  2012 marks the 50^th anniversary of this important gathering and as a parish we intend to make those various proclamations an important part of our Faith Formation program, especially for our adults. 

This Tuesday night and Wednesday morning I will be starting a three week series of presentations on Catholic apologetics to help us in answering challenges to our faith and explaining our beliefs, especially to non-believers.  We will be making heavy use of Scripture in doing this.  But I am already looking forward to starting sessions on Vatican II for the next Adult Ed classes.  I hope many in the parish will take advantage of the opportunities we offer.

Peace & Love,
Fr. Dan
frdan@saint-mikes.org

Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:30 pm