June
19, 2005
Sommer
in the Summer
School
Graduation
This
past Friday we graduated the 8th graders of St. Brigid/Our Lady of Hope
school. Congratulations to the students who will now be starting their
new life as high schoolers in the fall. But as I’m fond of mentioning,
even though we’re going to miss seeing them every day in our school,
they haven’t “graduated” from our parish and we’re
happy to pray with them each week at Sunday mass.
Lots of the college kids are home for the summer now and we’re
happy to welcome them back to life at St. Brigid’s. Some have
just graduated too (congratulations!) and if any find themselves in
that awkward
in-between time (before the reality of a new job takes over), I extend
an invitation to give some time to St. Brigid’s. We have a variety
of ministries that would welcome some help.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
June 12: Great News Anoying
News
June 5: What's Essential
May 29: Setting Priorities
May 22: Painting Project
May 15: We are the Church
May 8:Mother of the Church
May 1: On Life and Death
April 24: Habemus Papam
April 17: The Spirit Abounds
April 10: Two men on a journey
April 3: He's baaack!
March 27th: Not the best
news...yet
March 20th: What are You
Doing For Easter?
March 13th: The Stench
March 6: To Tell or Not
To Tell
February 27: Dry Mouth Dry
Soul
February 20: Good to Be
Here
February 13: And he was
hungry?
Ash Wednesday '05
February 6: Ashes Already?
January 23: Catholic Schools
Week
January 16: Continued Charity
January 9: Migration
January 2:All is bright?
Columns from 2004
Columns from 2003
Columns from 2002
For
the past 23 years I’ve been spending part of my summer by visiting
parishioners in informal settings and chatting about issues or topics
that they’re interested in. Sometimes there’s something you’ve
wanted to ask about -- whether it’s about God or prayer or church
or life issues or....well, you choose--and you don’t have a forum
to discuss it in. Here’s a chance for me to get to know the folks
in the parish better and a chance for people to talk about what interests
them.
So, since my last name is “Sommer” and siince we’re
headed into the summer season, I invite you to consider hosting a “Sommer
in the Summer” session in July or August. Here’s how it works:
(1) Give me a call or e-mail
me some available dates/times.
(2) Once we pick a good date, then invite some friends over to your home
(a dozen is the best number for this kind of thing),
(3) Make dessert.
(4) I’ll come over and we can spend a couple of hours talking together
(and eat dessert).
If you’ve never had the chance
to do this before, I’d encourage you to consider this unique opportunity.
In past summers I’ve done “Sommer in the Summer” with
groups of parents...or widow(er)s...or young adults...or families...or
singles...or “mixed” groups of friends and neighbors. I’m
looking forward to who I’ll get to meet this summer.
And now here’s an opportunity
for parents of children with special needs: We’re having a gathering
this coming Monday night (June 20th at 7pm) in the School Library. Parents
are invited to take a break and enjoy each other’s company, have
some stress-reducing and enjoyable time, and look to see what our parish
family can do together to involve children with special needs. If you’re
able to come over on Monday evening, we’d be glad to see you.
Finally, Happy Father’s Day
to all the dads in our parish. You continue to be signs of God the Father’s
love to your children. May God bless you in this mission.
You are Person
