…”Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about…” Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. The Magi were diligent in seeking the star and following where it lead. It brought them to the Christ. The first reading from the prophet Isaiah is a powerful reminder to ‘raise your eyes and look about…” to see the presence and activity of the Lord in our lives. Let us use this new year to seek the Lord – to follow the Star – which will lead us more fully to life in Christ.
…When I ‘raise my eyes’ and look around, I see the goodness of our members and the blessing of our parish community. This past Tuesday, at our Pastoral Council meeting, we ‘reviewed’ the first half of the pastoral year. We simply went around the group as each person shared ‘what was best’, or a ‘highlight’ of the past six months. The diversity of answers reflected the depth and breadth of opportunities, programs and events that take place in our community. Each of the answers revealed a great love for God and the bonds of friendship that so many share at Saint Ambrose. They also revealed your goodness and the amazing good we do together in the name of the Lord. The exercise was also a good reminder of how different programs and offerings respond to the diverse needs of our members. You can see a complete listing of their responses at: www.StAmbrose.us/PPC.
…For me, a great reflection of our parish community was the ‘summary’ of our parish Christmas service outreach, prayer and events. Take a minute, while online, to ‘raise your eyes’ and see the blessings of our community (www.StAmbrose.us/ChristmasSummary). For so many we are the beacon of hope and light.
…May this new year be filled with many more ways and opportunities to grow in holiness, service and community.
…Way back on the first of the year, most of us outlined some resolutions and good habits we wanted to form in the new year. How has the first week gone? Brother Casey Cole, OFM is coming to our parish community to talk about ‘good habits’ and the Lord. Brother Casey is a young, dynamic Franciscan that brings a great love of God and fresh insights to help all of us use the new year to develop good, holy, godly habits in our lives. See today’s bulletin for all the details. He will be with us next weekend. Welcome Brother Casey.
…Our very own Josh Cochrac, who is also in formation like Brother Casey, has already been here for ‘half’ of his seminary internship year. This coming Friday we welcome Father Andy Turner who will lead our pastoral staff and Josh’s Lay Formation Board through his mid-term evaluation. This is part of helping him develop good ministry skills, while guiding the seminary as they evaluate Josh as he continues to discern and prepare for Priesthood Ordination. He is a great blessing to our community and has done much good to encourage many of our young members to open their hearts to God’s call in their lives.
…This coming Monday we welcome the Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Office to Saint Ambrose. They are leading a workshop to discuss how we connect and engage faith and life with Generation Z. Dobie Moser, who many of you know, has been working hard across our diocese and for our parish community to help our parish and our parents find ways of passing on what matters most to our young people – especially the gift of faith in God and the promise of eternal life.
…At the Pastoral Council meeting, our youth minister, Caitlin O’Neill, presented a summary of our young ministry efforts currently underway at Saint Ambrose. The report was hopeful and impressive as we work hard to engage our teens. Go online to read her summary at: www.StAmbrose.us/PPCyouth.
…Please say a special prayer for our parish. We are one of the finalists to be selected as part of a national Youth Adult project led by the Lily Foundation and Saint Meinrad Seminary. The goal is to select 12 parishes to research and develop best practices to serve the needs of young adults in our parish. We will be having a site visit from the selection team. We are so close….please pray. This would be a great blessing to help us best respond to our young adult members.
…Speaking of young people and the good they do for the Lord and our community, last weekend Eagle Scout candidate, Matthew Stransky, invited all of us to join him and the Boy Scouts for a home-made spaghetti dinner this coming Saturday, January 13, 2018. It promises to be a GREAT meal….truly home-made. It also promises to help a great cause – our Scouts. They are working to raise funds for two projects – a new trailer for the troop AND a new pavilion on our parish grounds (Matthew’s Eagle Scout project). Help them plan by purchasing your tickets in advance at the Parish Office. See the bulletin for details. GREAT food. GREAT cause.
…I also shared with the PPC at our meeting that this coming week four members from our parish are heading to Florida (actually probably a lot more to get away from the cold) to attend a Stephen’s Ministry Training Conference. As part of our effort to help all of our members grow in holiness and have the help and support each needs, the Stephen Ministry trains and equips our members to assist our pastoral staff in the pastoral skills needed to support, encourage, and guide others on the path of the Lord. We have lots of members who do this in our home bound ministry, hospital ministry and Catholic works of Mercy. The Stephen Ministry Training will help us take these efforts ‘to the next level’ to best serve our members. Watch for details as the group returns from training.
…Saint Ambrose School had a great return to school this week. We welcomed four new students into our school community. We are so blessed. Their parents have heard about the great things taking place at SAS and LAPS and wanted this ‘sooner than later’ for their children. We are so blessed. If you would like information about the upcoming school year, please contact Breanne Logue at blogue@StASchool.us. Everything for every student, every day!
…On this Feast of the Epiphany, please remember to call the Parish Office if you would like one of the priests/deacons to come and bless your home. There are also ‘kits’ available for you to take home to bless your homes this weekend.
…Thank you for all the ‘gifts’ you share with the Lord and our community. “Raise your eyes” and see the blessings of our community. You are in my prayers. God bless you.
