December
31, 2006
Are
you coming back?
Father
John
Father John has returned to the rectory after
successful surgery to remove his thyroid gland. He will be limited in
his ability to speak for a while (so he can’t chat with you on
the phone yet). But he can still read. You can send prayers for healing
and well wishes to:
fatherjohn@saintbrigid.net
Father
Fitz
Father Fitz has returned from his visit to his family in the Philippines
where he buried his niece who was tragically killed in an automobile
accident before Christmas.
Father
Cine and Father Derlis
Father Cine and Father Derlis will be away for almost two weeks. Father
Cine will be in Haiti at a meeting of the Montfort Fathers and Father
Derlis had deferred his summer vacation to now because it is in between
semesters. So we’ll be a little short-handed the next few weeks.
Christmas
Collection
Did you know that our parish "survives" financially because
of the donations to our Christmas Fund collection? If you're reading
this online and you "visit" our parish from afar, I'd like
to invite you to support our parish with a donation to our Christmas
Fund. Mail contributions to :
St Brigid's Church
75
Post Ave
Westbury NY 11590
Thank you.
Online
Masses
We are now going to be able to stream masses and other events live over
the internet to homebound folks and to relatives who live in other lands.
If you’re interested in this, in this, click
here.
Away
at College?
Are you or your child away at college? At St. Brigid’s we like
to stay in touch via occasional e-mails as we send photos and news from
“home”. College students wishing to be connected through
our “Letters from home” can sign up online here
or you can mail or
e-mail thecollege names and e-mail addresses to Father Ralph and he’ll
put them on the list.
Census
Continues
Of the approximate 6,000 families we usually send mail to, we’ve
received completed Census booklets from over 4,000. So we’ve got
a ways to go.
Is your booklet in?
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
December 24: Cloaks Rolled
in Blood
December
17: What About Us?
December
10: To Whom Do We Look?
December 3: Drowsy Hearts
November 26: Looking Ahead
November 19: Giving Thanks
November12: Putting Our
Two Cents Worth
November 5: Our Youth, Our
Hope
October 29: A Dark and Stormy
Night
October 22: Washington Trip
October 15: Marriage Help
October 8: Fall Fix Up
October 1: Cut Off Week
Sept 24:War Begins At Home
Sept 17: Who Do You Think
You Are?
Sept 10:God Be With You
Sept 3: Back to
School
August 27: Merry Christmas
August 20: Wine or No Wine
August 13: Mangia...
August 6: Mixed News
July 30: Impossibly Little
July 23: Come away!
July 16: Got a Mission?
July 9:Missing God
July 2: Jesus Interrupted
June 25: One Here, One to
Come
June 18: A Father's Gift
June 11: Charity Begins
At Home
June 4: Turning Silver
May 28: Eight Years •
Eight Months
May 21: If Any
May14: Celebrating Mothers
May 6: Celebrating Priests
April30: Baked Fish
April 23: What we hear
April 16: Out of the Tomb
April 9: Jesus, Our Source
of Peace
April 2: NOW, Can you Hear
Me?
Mar 26: Can You Hear Me
Again?
Mar 19: Can You Hear Me
Now?
Mar 12: Now Take 4Steps
March 5: Take A Step
Feb 26:Coming Home
Feb19: Visiting Heros
Feb 12: Passing Pastor
Feb 4: Annual Appeal
Jan 22: Abandoned Nets
Jan 15: Everlasting Life
Jan 8: I'm not going to
jail..
Jan 1: Happy New Year
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns from
2003
Columns from 2002
It’s
time to get to work inviting people back to church for the new year. You
couldn’t help but notice everyone who showed up for Christmas and
this week provides a good opportunity to build a
church-belonging momentum. Here’s how to do it:
(a) Chat with friends, co-workers or neighbors and say, “So how
was your Christmas?”
(b) Tell them about your experience at Christmas Mass.
(c) If they didn’t already mention that they were at church for
Christmas, gently inquire about that. And if they went to church, ask
how crowded it was. Say something like, “It’s so good to see
everyone together in church during Christmas. I just wish people came
to pray like that every weekend.”
Now there will probably be one
of three reactions to your “wish.” (1) The other person will
agree with you. (2) The other person will change the subject. (3) The
other person will admit that he/she isn’t so regular when it comes
to coming to church to pray.
If the person shares the third
response, this is your moment to invite. Say something like, “Well
I’m going to the [state time] mass next Sunday. Would you [and your
family] like to sit with us? We’d love to celebrate mass with you.”
(Depending on the relationship with the person you could also offer to
go out for coffee afterwards, or you could volunteer to bring the person
to church with you.)
The goal here is to help the other
person know that you value his/her presence as a valued member of our
church family. There are sometimes other things that keep a person away
from church, but often there is nothing preventing them from coming. It’s
just that no one has bothered to invite the person back and they’ve
fallen out of the practice of coming to mass. Your invitation speaks a
Christ-like truth: they matter. They are loved. We miss those who are
missing.
Oh and if you’re one of the folks who have come back after Christmas:
Yay! I’m so glad you’re here.
