Pastor’s Corner — July 11th, 2021
Welcome, Fr. Miguel Part Two
Thanks for the warm welcome you’ve given to Fr. Miguel. One of the best ways for a new priest to get to know the parish is when parishioners invite him to their home for dinner. (This actually remains one of my favorite things to do.) He’s learning the ropes quickly and he is eager to get to know you. If you’re interested in getting to know Fr. Miguel please email him to set up a date for a lunch or dinner frmiguel@stpatchurch.org
Also, in case you haven’t noticed, we posted a fun “Rectory Ramble” video last week saying bye to Fr. Joe and introducing Fr. Miguel. In case you haven’t seen this video click here to watch it.
Walking With Purpose
This weekend we announced our new parish women’s ministry starting this fall called Walking With Purpose. If you’re reading the bulletin online you can register here.
We Have Two More Seminarians!
Good news: our parish now has three parishioners studying for the priesthood. In addition to Thomas Watza who will be starting his second year of seminary this fall, two new seminarians were recently accepted into seminary formation this past month.
Sam Struppa is the son of Dave and Melissa Struppa and was accepted as a first year seminarian for the Companions of the Cross, a religious order out of Ottawa, Canada. This dynamic order focuses on evangelization and serves in several countries including the United States.
William Ulmer is the son of Brenda and Scott Ulmer and was accepted as a first year seminarian for the Diocese of Lansing. This fall he will be studying with Thomas in St. Paul, MN at St. John Vianney Seminary.
The decision to go to seminary is not an easy one. Yet these guys also know that going to seminary doesn’t mean they are signing on the dotted line to become a priest. The initial years in the seminary are focused on helping guys discern whether or not God is calling them to be a priest while beginning their philosophy degree.
Let’s remember to pray for these men by name and entrust them to the intercession of Our Lady so that they can freely and fully say YES to God’s holy will and be protected from the deception and tactics of the devil.
Vacation This Week (July 12-16)
I’ll be out on vacation next week with my priest fraternity and will be back for the weekend Masses. I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry, Fr. Miguel has a lot of experience being a priest. . . well, if the Church burns down while I’m gone, we’ll just build a new one. That’ll save us all the work of renovating this one. Just kidding! Fr. Miguel is going to do great and he knows how to reach me in any emergency he and the staff can’t handle!
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias