Free-will offering. All proceeds benefit Sacred Heart’s Haiti Ministry.

As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.

Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief
and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.

And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.

For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever. Amen.

Copyright © 2010, Diana Macalintal. Permission is given to reprint for non-commercial use.

It will be a whole meal – there will be breakfast and lunch foods for your eating pleasure.

No charge – free-will offering. Bring your appetites! All money collected will go to buy food for the people of Haiti – additional rice and beans to carry them over after the brutal storms.

Parish Yoking Meetings

Sacred Heart Church – June 3, 2008

Mass Possibilities
• Accommodate early birds with an early Mass
• Accommodate late risers with an evening Mass on Saturday/Sunday

• Sunday evening Mass in other parts of the country are very popular with the 20 and 30-something crowd, although other age groups do attend. 
• For families with young children, a 5pm Mass is impossible.  Also, “bookend Masses” (i.e., early and late Masses) are hard on families with young children.
• Weekday Masses – currently St. Maurice does not have weekday Masses.  They do have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Wednesday.  Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion open and close Adoration.
• Hopefully, the new Mass schedule will be in effect by the beginning of July.  A joint meeting of the two pastoral councils will coordinate efforts to come up with a new Mass schedule.  (A suggestion was made that the pastoral councils present new Mass schedules to their respective parishes and that the parishioners vote on the preferred schedule.  A survey, however, could be conducted, but voting would not be beneficial.)
 
Suggestions
• St. Philip & St. Jude parishes pray for each other at their Masses.  Perhaps this might be something Sacred Heart and St. Maurice parishes might want to do.
• Invite St. Maurice parishioners to Sacred Heart picnic on June 8 and to the anniversary Mass and banquet on June 29.  Fr. Stan will bring invitations to the St. Maurice meeting on June 4.
• Visiting St. Maurice would be a great way to begin the process of working and worshipping together.
• A “Yoking Bulletin Board” in a meeting room at both parishes would keep all parishioners informed of activities in both parishes. 
• Some parishes have a joint section in their bulletins informing parishioners of upcoming events.
• It was suggested that Fr. Stan allow time for fellowship to occur after all Masses.  His presence after Mass to meet with parishioners and enjoy fellowship with them is very important.
• It was suggested that a pot luck supper be held in order to bring both parishes together.

Questions
• Inquiry re: staff at St. Maurice – Fr. Stan reported that, to the best of his knowledge, the parish has a secretary, assistant secretary, groundskeeper, education minister, music minister, youth minister.  Most of these are part-time workers or volunteers.
• Inquiry re: financial implications – Bishop Cote instructed Fr. Stan that Sacred Heart parish would issue Fr. Stan’s salary.  St. Maurice is to pay ½ of the pastor’s salary and reimburse Sacred Heart parish every other month. 
• Inquiry re: the allotment of Fr. Stan’s time between the two parishes – Fr. Stan estimates that he will initially need to divide his time approximately 60 / 40 – 60% with St. Maurice and 40% with Sacred Heart because he will need time to get to know the St. Maurice parish.  There is also time needed to do some technological updating.
• Inquiry re: the parish envelopes if attending the other parish – Fr. Stan indicated that all envelopes would be returned to their proper parish.  This would work only with envelopes – if cash is dropped in the basket, there’s no way of knowing if the person is a parishioner of St. Maurice or Sacred Heart.

Information
• St. Maurice has a Knights of Columbus council.
• St. Maurice supports a school for girls in Haiti.
• St. Maurice’s faith formation classes occur once a month in intergenerational classes.  Confirmation Preparation occurs within the intergenerational program.
• St. Maurice does have fellowship each Sunday with each Sunday having a different focus – i.e., coffee fellowship one week, pancake breakfast another week, intergenerational faith formation on another week, etc.
 

Also, as of that day Father Stan is now the pastor of Saint Maurice Church in Bolton, as well as remaining here as pastor of Sacred Heart.

We wish Father Stan and all the wonderful people of Saint Maurice and Sacred Heart many years of growth together.