Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks

Last weekend, we announced our Volunteer of the Year awards, and treated the volunteers to dinner at Renato’s! It was a lovely evening to be able to spend time with so many folks who serve in many varied ministries! It is not just longevity of service, but awardees are involved in and sometimes leading multiple ministries! Reminds me of the advice someone gave me: “If you want a task done well, give it to a busy person!” Thank you to all who generously and tirelessly serve the Lord!

Please enjoy on my page, a few pictures of the award winners!

Adoration: with this past weekend’s Parish Life sign-ups, we are getting very close to being able offer adoration Monday morning through Friday evening! A special shout of gratitude goes to those who take the overnight hours. While they are the hardest to fill, I believe them to be the most spiritually rewarding because of sacrifice that interrupted sleep entails!

Yes, there are still overnight and daytime hours that need another adorer to cover. Might the Lord be inviting you to make the commitment to spend an hour with Him each week?

How would you know that Jesus is inviting you: if the thought has passed your mind of wanting a deeper prayer life, but also mixed with anxiety of “oh no, too much, I can’t commit!” An anxious response or excuse, might well be the very human response to Jesus. “Be not afraid!”

You can email the adoration coordinator, (Serena~ adoration@stmaryfred.org) and ask which hours need coverage. Hopefully we will have coverage soon and be able to greatly expand the hours of solemn adoration!

Have a lovely weekend, and get ready for the Parish Picnic next Saturday, October 3rd! Good times at St. Mary’s!

pax,

Father John Mosimann

St Mary will be providing snack bags for the children of Hugh Mercer Elementary who suffer food insecurity on the weekends.  St. Mary is to provide snacks on the 2nd THURSDAY of every month.

For OCTOBER we ask that all donations be dropped off NO LATER THAN TUESDAY,  OCTOBER 6.   Please drop off food donations directly to the Parish Office.

Sign up at bit.ly/4h7VHPB

Thank you!

Below find a letter written by Martyr and Saint Paul Chung, translated into English for the first time ever, by our very own Father Stan Lee.  He includes the Korean and Chinese above the English translation.

Dear Folks,

It is once againtimefor ourParishLifeWeekend!is is your opportunity to meet some of the wonderful folks who coordinate the many ministries that make our parish work. Some are very visible, some happen quietly behind the scenes, but all of them depend upon parishioners who are willing to give a little of their time and talent.

So, after Mass, please stop by, wander around, ask some questions, and perhaps even sign up for something! If youare reading this bulletin at home later today,I hope you stopped. If you are reading it at breakfast over a cup of coffee, I hope you stopped. And if you are reading this bulletin during Mass… well… you especially have no excuse for not stopping on the way out!

As has become a tradition, purely for your entertainment, and with absolutely no intention of leaving the priesthood for a career in comedy, here are this year’s top ten excuses for not signing up for at least one parish ministry:

“I already volunteer. I hold the door open for people at Costco.”

“I asked ChatGPT to volunteer for me.”

“I am discerning. I have been discerning since the lastMinistry Fair.”

“My spiritual gift is delegation.”

“I don’t want to overcommit. I already have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.”

“I am waiting for the Introverts Who Don’t Attend Meetings Ministry.”

“I would volunteer, but I don’t want to deprive someone else of the blessing.”

“My children keep me too busy. I was hoping you could sign them up instead.”

“My wife already signed me up for three things.”

And my perennial favorite:“You talking to me??”

Come and see what is happening in your parish. You don’t have to do everything. You don’t even have to do a lot. But everyone of us has something to offer, and our parish is stronger when we offer it together.

pax,

Father John Mosimann