A Word from Our Pastor: Sept. 9, 2016

Dear St. Joseph’s Church Family,

I have important news to share with you. On Labor Day, Kyler Brown emailed me his resignation. He wrote that after much consideration he has decided it’s time for him to move to Florida. His last Mass at St. Joseph Church will be September 16th. We will begin looking for a new music director for the Vigil and 11:30 Masses – I’ll let you know how it goes.

I wish to thank Kyler for the three years of service he provided to our parish. I noticed his dedication and professionalism even in the short time that we overlapped. Please keep him in your prayers as he makes his transition to Florida.

Additionally, I’m including my letter from the September 2 newsletter, in case you missed it. The letter outlines a path toward reform and renewal in the Church in light of the current scandal.

In today’s second reading James implores us to “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.” (James 1:22) Going forward, we as a parish must be doers of the Word. In the current circumstances, we must be a place of reform in the Church. The whole Church is being called to reform – God revealed what is sick in the Church in order to heal it. We must accept the graces offered in this pivotal moment, embracing the Holy Spirit and where He is leading us. However, we ourselves cannot reform the whole Church that is a task much broader than a single parish. Yet we can seek reform here in our parish.

A first step was last Thursday’s Eucharistic Adoration. What is the next step? The antidote to evil and infidelity is goodness and faithfulness. We must be like Christ when faced with evil. We must embrace the holiness God calls us to. We must be like the saints. Reform within the Church has always come from the saints, and so we must be a parish that provides the rich soil from which saints arise. We must dedicate ourselves to holiness. Even faced as we are with infidelity and wickedness, we must redouble our efforts to seek the holiness for which God created us. Holiness is marked by the virtues that baptism grants us: faith, hope, and love. Thus the next step is be a parish where these virtues are cultivated.

Faith is believing in Jesus Christ, who He is and what He has revealed to us as the Word of God. Therefore, Fr. Scordo will present a series of talks this Fall to help us better understand our Faith in Jesus Christ. Also, in faith we rely on the help of the Communion of Saints, and so we will begin to call upon their aid and protection by praying the Prayer to St. Michael after daily Mass.

Hope is our trust and eager expectation for the fulfillment of God’s promises of salvation. We often grow in Hope when we see how God has acted in our lives, especially when we can see His mercy at work in our lives. Therefore in Advent we will offer confessions before every Sunday Mass. It is in the Sacrament of Confession that we encounter Christ and His mercy most intimately, and learn to hope in that divine mercy. Also, we hope in those we have come to know most closely. As we come to know Jesus not simply as a concept but as a friend, then our hope truly starts to grow. Therefore we will begin offering Eucharistic Adoration every Friday after the 12:10 p.m. Mass so that people can come before Jesus and experience a deeper friendship with Him.

Love is seeking the good of another – giving of one’s self. Penance is a form of love when we offer our penance for another. Therefore the friars are going to undertake the traditional Ember days of penance and fasting throughout the year. We encourage everyone who is able to join us in this practice. We’ll provide more information about Ember days when the first one approaches. Also, love is found in community because it is there that we encounter those to whom we are called to give ourselves. Thus we will encourage ministries and community within the parish. We will renovate Casserly Hall in order to have the space to welcome new ministries and encourage the whole parish to deepen our unity and community together.

It is my hope that as we begin this path of renewal together that we can be a light and example for the wider Church – that we can be a place of goodness and holiness and a sign of God at work among His people. Let us all strive with God’s grace to be saints together!

Blessing,

Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.
Pastor