St. Maria Goretti - Pastor's Note

I hope and pray that you are enjoying this summer, that is going much too quickly! It’s hard to believe that in just two-and-a-half weeks that school will resume. Take the time to enjoy all those summer things that you love NOW. In the blink of an eye it will be fall and winter.

This is the last weekend of the month, and as you know from the announcement that is made at Mass on “every last weekend of the month”, this is our opportunity to help out our HELP Committee and Shepherd’s Gate Food Pantry. We will take our second collection this weekend. We’ll pass the baskets around one more time, and many of us will kick-in what we can to help those in need, of which we having a rapidly growing number. And for far too many of us, we won’t think again about those who really are in trouble financially, until next month, when we’ll do it all over again. The reality of these economic times is that there are many of us who are hurting financially. The Shepherd’s Gate Food Pantry has had record numbers of visitors in these last couple of months. The HELP Committee is doing everything that they can to help as many people as possible. We can’t fix everything, but the reality is, that because of YOUR generosity, we have been able to do a lot of good for a lot of people. As the baskets come around today, please consider giving whatever you can to help out. If you have some money to donate, then give thanks to God for what you have and share it with others. There are many who can’t give anything this month. Not because they’re saving for their vacation, not because they are going out to eat after Mass, and not because they want a bigger TV, they can’t give anything because there’s already not enough money to pay the house payment or rent and buy food. Many of us need to count our blessings. Everyone is being “pinched” by higher fuel costs, higher food bills, and a higher cost of living. If you think that the current economic situation has hurt your family, then try and imagine what it is doing to a family that was already in trouble a year ago? My brothers and sisters, all of us have a special responsibility to those in need, especially our brothers and sisters in need. Please do what you can to help out.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Jerry and Kendra Geis, Tom and Suzanne Oliger, and Ron and Kathy Pelletier who work together to run our HELP Committee here at St. Maria Goretti. It is a massive undertaking, especially as we head towards Thanksgiving and Christmas, with their respective drives for those in need. In addition, I’d like to thank Ann and Mike Brown and Peggy and Ken Norus for all of their hard work in running our Shepherd’s Gate Food Pantry, and for the dozens of volunteers who help out each month in our Pantry. We ALL have a responsibility to the poor. It comes right out of the Gospels. We must be very careful that we don’t sit back and just let the HELP Committee and Shepherd’s Gate Food Pantry “take care of” things for us. The HELP Committee and the Shepherd’s Gate Food Pantry are there to be vehicles and the means for all of us to get involved and do our part. They are not meant to be justifications or excuses for us to say “Well, the Church is taking care of that for me.” Now more than ever, we’ve got to consider these things. It’s easy to give to others out of our surplus, or when things are going really well, or when we ourselves won’t feel it. It’s a lot harder to give to others when things are tight for all of us. Please be generous today when that basket comes around a second time. May all of us pray about what we are doing and what we can do to help out others. God did not give us our money just for ourselves.

Hey, I’m also noticing that we are still in need of many Parish Religious Education (P.R.E.) catechists and youth ministers, especially for our Wednesday evening, HOPE Jr. High program. Any chance that YOU would have some time this year to share your Faith with our young people? I know that God is calling many of you! Not the person that lives down the street from you, but YOU! By being a Catechist or a youth minister you can change the life of a young person forever. Could YOU help us out this year? See the information listed inside this bulletin this week on how you can help out.

There’s a little race down in Speedway, Indiana today. Fr. Dale’s back from Minnesota, so I’m going to head down there after 8:00 AM Mass. Please pray for the safety of all! Have a great week!

In Christ,

Fr. Kevin

When you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.