March
11, 2007
Cold
Enough For You?
Convent
Countdown
Still
waiting for a new tenant...tick...tick...tick...
We continue to show the building to interested tenants, but no proposals
are coming forth yet.
We need to make up the $18,000 a month loss in revenue.
Cemetery
Masses
Each year we try to accommodate the large crowds for Palm Sunday and
Easter Sunday by using the chapel in Holy Rood Cemetery for two additional
masses on those days.
If you regularly attend mass in the cemetery chapel on those days, we
could use your help. We need a team of “set-up” people and
“take down” people because we need to bring all our supplies
for the masses and then clean up afterwards. If you’re looking
for a practical way to assist our parish, please leave your contact
information with Adriana Miller (334-0021 ext 105) or adriana@
saintbrigid.net
and someone will be in touch with more info.
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.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
March 4:Stocking the Shelves
Feb 25: Basket Case
Feb18: Ashes and Desert
Dust
Feb11: Get Ready, Get Set,
REST!
Feb.4: Lent Lurking
Jan.28:Catholic Schools
Week
Jan.21:Crying in Church
Jan.14: Love ahead
Jan.7:
So How Was Your Christmas?
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns from
2003
Columns from 2002
This
past week was bone-chilling cold! I was amazed, though, at the number
of people who braved the cold for a number of parish experiences. Our
three daily masses still had great attendance even on the coldest days.
People still came out for our daily celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Father George and the young adult group spent several mornings at 6am
handing out coffee, muffins and warm coats, hats and gloves to the day-laborers
who spent hours in the freezing cold, looking for work. And hundreds of
people came out to our Lenten retreat last Tuesday -- quite a few people
walked from New Cassel to be here! All through the week families bundled
their children and brought them to Religious Education -- where again
the priests have been hearing hundreds of confessions each day.
It seems that when a community
like ours wants to pray or serve or be forgiven or grow spiritually, even
wind and cold and snow does not freeze out their resolve.
So I want to pause this Lent to
say thank you to all who come. For not only do people come to be served
by what our parish offers, but many come to serve. Thank you to the many
ministers who come each day to read, to help with communion, to serve
at the altar, to lead music, to welcome and usher people. Thank you to
all the catechists who come to teach. Thank you to all the outreach workers
who have been helping countless people who are being brutalized by the
cold. Thank you to the many, many people who dropped off coats and hats
and gloves for the day laborers -- your generosity is overwhelming.
And thank you to all who support
what we’re doing financially. The oil trucks came more frequently
these past few weeks, so your contributions really help.
Finally, thank you to our parish
staff whose collaborative efforts led to a wonderful start to our parish
Lenten Retreat. I hope you’ll have a chance to come this Tuesday,
either in the afternoon or evening and experience God’s remarkable
blessings.
