“And Be Kind To One Another…”

…”And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.” Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, gives us some wonderful direction to live a holy, peaceful and Christ-centered life. As Christ loves us, how can we share this same love, forgiveness and peace with one another? As Christ does for us, let us strive to do for one another.

…Last Sunday was a great day for our local church. The FEST was an amazing day for the thousands and thousands who joined in this day of faith, family and fun! Our parish community was at the heart of creating and sharing this special day. From the moment one pulled on the campus and met so many of our K of C parking cars… to Matt Fodor and Max Menkhaus leading the Music for Mass… to Helen Lanzarotta and Lynn Tobon and our Art and Environment Team decorating the space for Mass… to Bob and Stan on the Johnsonville Braut Grills… to our building and grounds crew helping to literally build the ‘city’ for a day….our parish community really led the way and did great good for so many! God bless all who joined us. Special thanks to all who helped make this day possible. I am so grateful to God for your help, support and goodness. God bless you abundantly. I know that Bishop Perez was thrilled by the day and the opportunity to meet so many of our members, and so many good people from across the diocese. Thank you so much.

…The theme of The FEST was “Be the Light.” It’s really at the heart of Saint Paul’s message today in our second reading. At the end of The FEST, we challenged everyone to go and do 50 acts of Light in August. Imagine the impact if all those people do 50 acts of light – it would be far more than a million acts of light. I would challenge each of us to do the same in our local community. Imagine if each of us did 50 acts of kindness over the next few weeks. It would ‘lift up’ our entire community. For some inspiration, watch this amazing video that was prepared for The FEST. It reminds us of the good we can do – together. Go to: www.theFEST.us/videos.

…This weekend is Spirit Sunday. It’s hard to believe that the school bell is ready to ring again. This coming week, all of our faculty and staff of Saint Ambrose School will be together working to bring to life an amazing school year. I was with Mrs. Cinadr and Mr. Dziedzicki earlier in the week as they were listing the major initiatives for the upcoming school year. Saint Ambrose School is poised to do great things for each and every student.

…This coming school year is the 10th anniversary for our Littlest Angels Preschool. It will be a special time to celebrate all the good Mrs. Mitchell and her team have done – and are doing – for our youngest members.

…Mrs. Yarmesch is an integral part of our Littlest Angels Preschool program. This coming year she is ‘spreading her wings’ a little wider by taking on the leadership of our Sunday morning Journey with Jesus Preschool. It’s a wonderful way to help our youngest members age 3-4-5 learn the Bible Stories and Songs that teach us about God’s great love and care for them (and each of us). It’s also a great help to parents so mom and dad can enjoy some peace at Mass. Journey with Jesus takes place on Sunday mornings during both the 9 and 10:30 am Mass. To learn more or to get involved, contact Missy at MYarmesch@StaSchool.us.

…The campus is coming to life. The flag football teams are practicing on the football field. The CYO football teams are back in action on the upper fields. The volleyball teams are in the Hall. Parish groups and meetings are coming back to life. It’s exciting to see and experience the great energy that’s on our campus. As I was wandering around the other night from group and practice, I could not help but notice the immense beauty of the flowers. Take a few minutes to stroll through the campus and see the goodness of our members and the glory of God revealed in the beauty of God’s creation.

…Speaking of sports teams….Last week I met with Dan Mog, Ryan Harrington and Jim Lepi. They coordinate our CYO sports efforts. They are going to begin a process of surveying how best we can serve the needs of our young people in terms of sports and CYO. Watch for more details as we develop a plan that will outline ways we can best form student athletes with the heart and strength of Christ. Saint Paul says that we should “run the good race and fight the good fight” for the Lord.

…Special thanks to our maintenance team who have been working very hard to make sure our buildings and campus are ready for a new school and pastoral year. They have been hard at it. Things are just about ready. You may have also noticed that the south parking lot was “sparked up” last week. We had to reset the sewer basins along with crack sealing and coating.

…Hopefully, by this time next week, I will be able to share with you an update concerning our Church repair/renovation project. We are working to secure bids, receive the needed permissions from the Diocese, and outline a timeline and plan for implementation. I was with some of our students this morning for ‘cantor practice’ for the upcoming school year. I asked them what they were looking forward to in the new school year. The answer from the group, “the Church renovation”! Watch for more details soon.

…Many thanks to all who are supporting the campaign and/or using the building fund envelopes in your monthly packet. Your support is greatly appreciated. Many thanks, too, to all who are starting to use the ‘summer catch up’ envelope. Your support allows our parish to do all the good things for the Lord and for so many in our community.

…As we head back to school, enjoy these days of summer. All of our students will receive a special Back to School Blessing next weekend at Mass. Be assured of my prayers and my great thanks! God bless.