Dear Folks,

Every feast of the Assumption, I share with you the story of my grandmother visiting—and how, when she left, I got up in gratitude to say goodbye. I’ll leave that story for the Masses. It deeply resonates with me why we must come to Mass to bid farewell to Our Lady as she is assumed into heaven. We have an extensive schedule of Masses, as printed in the bulletin here.

And because this Holy Day falls on a Friday, that means added traffic. So let me renew my exhortation to be good neighbors. As good neighbors, we must be mindful that our parking needs can—and sometimes do—annoy those who live near the church. If you worry that you can’t go to the store on weekends because there will be no parking near your home… yeah… that’s difficult.

There are times when our parking spills into the neighborhood and becomes a source of frustration for our neighbors. As pastor, I’ve tried to ease this by adding an evening Mass or two at Holy Cross on Ash Wednesday— one of our most congested days.

Additionally, it seems that some folks try to reenact Our Lady flying to heaven on the wings of angels… by flying out of the parking lot at angelic speeds. Our haste does not justify unsafe driving through residential side streets.

So what can we do?

1. 2. Please use the church parking lot as much as possible. The town recently added several spots along William Street in front of the church—prime spaces that don’t impact our neighbors. But too many people still park along other residential streets even when there’s space in the lot—usually to allow for a quicker exit.

When exiting onto Stafford Avenue, please remember: you’re in a residential neighborhood, with children at play.

Let’s be good neighbors. Charity begins with the Lord—and continues as we exit the parking lot into all the places we go in daily life.

pax (et bonum)!

Father John Mosimann