Pastor’s Corner — August 1st, 2021
Parish Council Nominations Due August 27th
For those who are new to our parish, our parish council is a consultative body of parishioners that provides critical input and feedback both on how we are fulfilling our mission and on other key projects and initiatives such as the upcoming church renovation. In addition to attending monthly meetings, each council member seeks input from the parish and brings that feedback to everyone on the council. Each of them also commits to attending a parish commission (finance, worship, education, Christian service, etc) and report back to the parish council its activity. In this way, the parish council gets the big picture of what’s happening and can assist me in making good decisions for the parish. The council, in my mind, is one of the key ways that I get the pulse of how things are going in the parish and get input on what direction to take the parish.
Because we have three council members who finished their terms this year, we are in need of three more parishioners willing to serve on the parish council for a three year term. If you’re personally interested in serving on parish council, please fill out and submit the Parish Council Nomination Form found here. (We also have these available in the front office). These forms need to be submitted to the office by August 27, 2021. Then my leadership team will select the council members from those nominated.
Parishioner Rose Deemer Becoming a Missionary
My name is Rose Deemer, and I’ve been a parishioner at St. Pat’s for about a year now. I have been so blessed by my time at St. Pat’s and the community I have found at this parish!
A few months ago, I realized that Jesus was asking me to let go of all of my plans for this year, and be ready to receive his plan for me. To my surprise and joy, this plan turned out to be a missionary year with NET Ministries! NET (“National Evangelization Teams”) exists to evangelize youth in the Church who have never truly heard the Gospel or encountered the person of Jesus in their lives. There are young people in parishes and Catholic schools across the country who are catechized in religious ed programs but have never really met Jesus or experienced His love. NET seeks to fill this gap by deploying teams of Catholic young adults as missionaries throughout the country, putting on retreats at parishes and schools and running discipleship-based youth ministry programs. Since 1981, NET missionaries have led over 34,000 retreats and ministered to over 2.1 million young Catholics!
To help cover the costs of this mission, NET asks each missionary to fundraise a minimum of $6,000 - $7,000. In my fundraising, I have been so overwhelmed by the generosity of my family, friends, and people I have never even met! I just wanted to reach out to the parish family at St. Pat’s and offer the opportunity to partner with me as I go on mission this year with NET. If you feel called to financially support this mission, any and all donations are so appreciated. To donate, please visit netusa.org/supportamissionary/ and select “Rose Deemer” in the section titled “I’d like to partner with…” There is an option to donate a one-time gift, or make a monthly pledge. Donations can also be made via check; please make checks out to NET Ministries, and write “Rose Deemer—missionary” on the memo line. Checks can be mailed to NET Ministries at 110 Crusader Ave W. West St. Paul, MN 55118. Thank you so much in advance to anyone who feels called to financially support this mission!
As always, however, the greatest contribution to any mission is prayer. Please keep me in your prayers, and know that you will be in mine this year! I have loved my time at St. Pat’s and am so grateful to all of you for the warm welcome and community I have found here. Thank you so much and God bless you!
I’m very proud of Rose and her decision of faith to join NET. Please support her through prayer and/or financially.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias