August 18, 2016
“Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few people be saved?’ He answered them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.’” One of our favorite SA songs has as the refrain, “I will be…I will be….strength for the journey.” This weekend’s Gospel articulates the challenge of the narrow gate – the path to heaven. For those who walk the path, Jesus promises to be both the path and the strength we need for the journey. As we enter into the fall season filled with wonderful programs and opportunities to grow ‘stronger’ in the Lord, how can you make sure you are on the path – can pass through the narrow gate – and have the strength you need from the Lord?
…This weekend we invite all those returning to a new school year to gather in prayer as we ask God’s blessing upon all faculty, staff and students. May this new school year be a time of God’s grace and blessing. May we learn the ways of the Lord and walk the path that leads to heaven.
…Special prayers for Mrs. Cinadr and our Saint Ambrose School faculty and staff as they make final preparations for the new school year, which starts this coming Wednesday. We are blessed with almost 500 students in grades K-8. Mrs. Mitchell and our Preschool will begin in the early days of September. She shared with me that they still have a few openings in our Three Year Old program. Our commitment it to work to be Everything for Every student….everyday!!! We stand ready to serve the needs of your child(ren) and family. Call the School Office for questions and details (330.460.7301).
…With school ramping up, our PSR Office is busy making preparations for the new year. God bless Janet Majka. She was beaming the other day as she announced that she has catechists for all her PSR classes. What a blessing and one more sign of the goodness of our members. She still is looking for a few people to help with our Sunday morning Preschool Program (Journey with Jesus). If you can help or need any information about PSR and our faith formation programs for your child(ren) and family, please contact Janet and Deb at 330.460.7326.
…It’s hard to believe that our summer season is coming to a close. We’ve had a full and busy summer at Saint Ambrose. Thanks to our Building and Grounds Committee, we have made some great progress on caring for our parish facilities. Especially this past week, they have patched, painted, wired, re-wired, mounted brackets and done so much more. We are blessed with a strong group of our members who work hand-in-hand in our Maintenance Crew to take care of our parish campus. We always could use a few more of our members to get involved. For more information, or to sign up, contact Ken at Kukarola@yahoo.com.
…Don’t forget to make plans to attend the Steak Roast sponsored by our K of C on Saturday, September 3, 2016. They promise great food….wonderful people….and a fun night for all. We will dedicate the new statue of Mother Teresa (on the eve of her canonization) as part of the evening. All proceeds from the Steak Roast will be used to help pay for this beautiful gift to our parish community. The new statue will be located overlooking the patio outside of the Mother Teresa Room in the PLC.
…This past Tuesday our Mother Teresa Room was filled with the Monks from Saint Andrew Abbey. Abbot Gary and his community came for an afternoon/evening of reflection, prayer and a great meal. We did the Living Your Strengths program with the community. It was helpful and very illuminating. They were learning about themselves and each other. It was a great blessing to have this time with these men who are dedicated to the Lord. Please pray for Abbot Gary and the monks.
…This coming November we will be celebrating Abbot Gary’s 25 years of friendship and service to our community. He’s served a good portion of our parishes’ history. Speaking of which, we are starting to plan for the 60th Anniversary of our community (June 13, 2017). If you would like to share your ideas on how we should celebrate and mark out this anniversary year, please contact Michele Sumner (MSumner@StAmbrose.us). We will meet as a group in mid-September to plan a great year for our community.
…God bless our STAr4life (Saint Ambrose Relay 4 Life) Team. They were recognized for their great efforts to support this important cause to bring an end to cancer through good research and support. This past week they received word that they raised the most money in the city for the Relay for Life event. It’s one more sign of your goodness and generosity. God bless our team….and you!!!
…Another sign of your goodness…..every week our Catholic Works of Mercy Team takes care of 35+ families by providing produce food and more from our Food Bank. The Food Bank sent me an email the other day to share this information and ask if WE could help support their important ministry by asking each family to bring a couple of canned food items or some peanut butter/jelly when you come to Mass next weekend. All of us working together will make sure all of our sisters and brothers have what they need.
…Many thanks to Sheriff Miller and his team who have been leading Safety Training Sessions. There’s another one this coming week. The goal is quite simple – to train about 300 of our members on campus safety. At the heart of their presentations is the desire to make sure we all have a clear sense of how to keep our busy, active campus safe, secure and open to all. Please join us this week for one hour that will make a huge differences for our parish.
…Over the past few weeks our parish has had the privilege of commending a number of ‘younger’ adults (40 – 50 ish) to the Lord. It’s a good reminder that every day we need to be prepared to walk through the narrow gate. Let’s pray for each other. Let’s pray for all who are sick and suffering. Let’s pray for families who are mourning the loss of a loved one. May God be our Strength for the Journey. Have a great week. God bless you.
