Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our Parish Lenten Mission is finally here! This is going to be an awesome week. It is with great joy that we welcome Fr. Bob Halter and Fr. John Smith of the Redemptorist Order, to our Parish for our annual Lenten Mission. Fr. Bob and Fr. John have a wonderful week in store for all of us. Please join us each night this week, beginning at 7:00 PM right here in the church. The Mission will last for an hour-and-a-half each evening and will be followed by refreshments and a social time in the Parish Hall.

You know, these Lenten Missions are such a powerful opportunity for growth. We’ve seen it every year. Lives have been changed by each one of our Parish Lenten Missions. It might be quite impossible for all of us, with all of our responsibilities, to be able to go “away” on an annual retreat. We might not have the time. We might not have the money. We might not know where to go to have a quality experience. With the Parish Lenten Mission, the Parish brings the retreat to you! It doesn’t cost individuals anything. You don’t have to give up a whole week and miss work, school, and other responsibilities. And the Parish finds gifted and inspiring speakers/leaders who guide us during the Mission. The annual Parish Lenten Mission is a great opportunity for all of us! I sincerely hope and pray that as many of us as possible can attend this week. You won’t be disappointed. Even if you can’t make every night, then come and join us when you can make it. If you’re like me, your Lent could use a shot in the arm right about now. It’s the perfect time for the Parish Lenten Mission. See you tonight!

Again, we also want to remind everybody AGAIN that on Tuesday evening, March 21 st, the evening of the Parish Mission will include a Reconciliation Service. This Reconciliation Service is extremely important to us, because it is also going to serve as our Lenten Penance Service. This is it, guys. We need to be here on Tuesday evening this week, if we haven’t been to Reconciliation yet this Lent. These Reconciliation services are so important to a Parish of our size with one full-time priest. We must all take advantage of opportunities like this when they come up. The days of being able to go to Reconciliation whenever all of us want to are rapidly disappearing. We’re going to have to re-arrange our schedules to get to receive this important Sacrament.

Also, don’t forget that Dr. Scott Hahn is going to be here next Saturday from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM, giving three talks in our church. This is a great blessing for us. Many visitors are expected from around the Midwest. Dr. Hahn has greatly curtailed his speaking schedule as of late, and we are so happy that he accepted our invitation to return to St. Maria Goretti. This is another one of those events that you aren’t going to want to miss. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE MUST REMEMBER TO BRING A LUNCH FROM HOME. Dr. Hahn will speak at 11:00 AM for an hour and then we will break for an hour for lunch. Tables will be set up in the Parish Hall and also in the gym for folks to sit down and eat.

We pray for the ladies this weekend, who get their turn with Christ Renews His Parish. Teams #11 & #12 are having a wonderful weekend. Please keep them in your prayers. Next weekend is our Confirmation Retreat, and likewise, we keep all of our Confirmation candidates in our prayers this week and next weekend, as they finalize their preparations for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

I told you this was going to be a busy month! The reaction to the new Defending Your Faith Kiosk has been amazing. Several of you have already told me how much you enjoyed listening to the CD’s. If you haven’t checked it out yet, why not see what’s available this weekend?

Many Thanks to all of the Holy Name Society guys for the wonderful Fish Fry last weekend. It was a lot of work but EVERYBODY enjoyed the great fish and the time together. The second Fish Fry of this Lenten season will take place this coming Friday evening, March 24 th, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. If you didn’t get any of this delicious fish last weekend, stop in this Friday evening and enjoy some. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors along. They’ll enjoy it too!

That’s about all for this week. We’ll see you at the Mission tonight. God bless you and your family!

In Christ,

Fr. Kevin

“Anger” is only one letter short of “danger”.