Dear Parishioners,
Praise be Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, who makes all things New! May His Holy Spirit be renewed in us as we proclaim Him anew as the people of St. Bernard-St. Mary Parish.
We are privileged to have Bishop Lennon here to establish our new parish. His presence, bearing Apostolic Succession, makes this a historic and momentous occasion. Thank you, Bishop, for bringing us Christ in the Eucharist.
Your welcome to him and me has been greatly appreciated. And, I want to thank in a special way my brother priests, Frs. Ed Burba and Clyde Foster. Their efforts these past weeks helped to make my transition to you smooth and less stressful. We keep them in our prayers as they make their transition to new assignments. Please see “Contact Information” below.
Thanks also to all the Liturgical Ministers for their service at the Opening Mass, and for those who arranged the refreshments afterward.
I look forward to serving you with Deacon Ray DiMascio, who was recently assigned to our parish, and, with Fr. Norm Douglas of Heart to Heart Ministry and the UA Newman Center.
Today we celebrate the 234th Anniversary of our Nation’s Independence. What a fitting day to begin our new parish. The French philosopher Albert Camus once said, “Freedom is nothing else than a chance to become better”. Ultimately the freedom we experience comes from God. It is up to each of us to use that freedom to discipline our lives in order to become better Catholics and Americans. We remember today in prayer the men and women who serve our nation in defense of the freedom we possess.
As you can imagine there is much to do these first weeks of the new parish. One important decision will be the selection of a principal for our St. Bernard-St. Mary School. I will also be appointing a SB-SM Parish Council from members of the councils who served the former parishes. I am asking them to serve for just one year in this transition. Stay posted for who they are. If you have a question or concern, please don’t think I’m that busy that I can’t take your call at the Parish Office. I’ll try to respond as soon as possible.
Don’t forget about our upcoming Parish Picnic on August 15. More information will follow. It can be a grand time for folks to meet one another. Pray for good weather and MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Let us continue to praise and give God thanks for our freedom and seek the grace to use it wisely. May the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Bernard of Clairvaux pray for us, in whose patronage we are doubly blessed.
Fr. Dan
