We’re starting a new homily series called “How to Pray at Mass.” Liturgical prayer (I mean, prayer with the whole church community at Mass or other sacraments) is a different experience than our personal, individual prayer time, so even if you are good at talking with God as friend, or at meditating, or at saying rosaries, you might need help to pray well at Mass. In this series we hope to give you some wisdom and tips to help you find prayer at Mass easier and more fruitful. If that topic gets you excited and you’d like to go deeper, let me recommend a book you can read as we go through this series: What Nobody Ever Told Us: A Guide to Getting More Out of the Catholic Mass, by Fr. Philip A. Smith.

As we approach the anniversary of our combining into one parish, I have another update concerning our transition. Our parish Transition Team has been a huge help to me in the past year, offering much wise counsel and helping me know what’s been going well in the transition and what needs attention. I am very grateful that most of the team has decided to continue serving our parish for another year. Many thanks to Maria Howe and Thom Pancella; they were an important part of our team in the past year but have decided that it will not be a good fit for them to continue in the year ahead. Thanks also to all those members who have agreed to stay on for another year: Deacon Dana, David Borgmeyer, Elizabeth Cassmeyer, Sandy Gaydos, Brooks Goedeker, Holly Keisker, Jen Popiel, and Debbie Solari. And a big welcome to Steven Kuehner and Meghan Hartzler, who have agreed to join our Transition Team for the year ahead. Talking to a member of the Transition Team is a great way to bring your ideas and concerns to our parish leadership. We also love hearing what is going well, what we should continue, and what we should do even more.

May God bless you!