Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

I have been known to joke, when a seminarian arrives, that he is our summertime indentured servant. It is awkwardly funny because the element of truth is that they are sent to work. A part of their formation to the holy priesthood is to be configured to Our Lord’s serving heart. “The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus,” said St. John Vianney, today’s saint of the day!

But this summer, we were blessed with the ministry and service of Deacon Tim Banach. Wow. This may be the easiest seminarian review I have ever given. My review for the diocese will be something like, “ordain this man to the priesthood ASAP!!!” He has served with generosity, flexibility, and preached with enthusiasm, clarity and precision. I have been asked if I could make my homilies shorter like his!! Fill in your cliche about old tigers and new stripes.

So thank you Deacon Tim! We wish you well, and thank you for your service to the people of Fredericksburg! If parishioners are reading this before the 10:30 or 12:30 Masses, then thank him after Mass. If you are reading it later in the day, then say a prayer for him, as he is on his way back to seminary. We are blessed, that he will be back in the parish at Christmastime and Holy Week!!

I will also point out the Deacon Dick Delio, one of our parish permanent deacons, is moving to Charlottesville soon! We are sad to see him go, but know that the Lord will bless the next phase of his life. HIs last Sunday Mass served will be the 10:30 am Mass in two weeks (August 18).

Finally, say a prayer for Deacon Alberto! In September, he will be the only deacon in the parish! So more work for him! We do have two men in formation, and another four discerning if the Lord may be calling them to the ministry of the permanent diaconate.

A good deacon is a great help. We have been blessed. Thanks to each of our good deacons, they are a great help to parish.

pax,

Father John Mosimann

Our Lord instructs his disciples to go out into the world and preach, heal, and share the good news of the Gospel! Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; …..Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Today I want to highlight two ways this is happening, with both involving parishioners and national efforts!

Last week Saint Mary’s parishioners joined tens of thousands of Catholics gathered in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. What a beautiful expression of the Church inviting folks to come and gather together in the name of, and in the presence of the Lord! Please check out the pictures in this bulletin, and read how it impacted the lives of our parish participants.

Right now, one of our parishioners, David Bereit is launching an online summit to help renew faith, family, and leadership! David has many years
of work in pro-life ministries, and is leveraging the many connections he has to help change our culture for the better!

Best of all, it is free to join and participate! I encourage you to take a look at the flyer and join this important summit.

I am proud as a pastor, to celebrate and encourage the good work of our parishioners to live out Our Lord’s command to let His light shine! Every single Catholic plays a key role in the life of the Church – called to serve in a unique way in the building up of His kingdom.

pax,

Father John Mosimann