Parish Mission Statement:
In faith we come together to celebrate the Eucharist as a Parish Family;
and as a Catholic community of faith,
we are sent to be Christ
to the world around us.
— — — — —
Be doers of the word not hearers only...
–Letter of James 1:22
"Lord, may this transformation of our parish invite us to transform our hearts in this season of Lent."
Shortly before Ash Wednesday, parishioners gathered after the 6 pm Mass on Sunday to assist in moving our prayer books and hymnals to the Parish Center in anticipation of the start of renovations to the interior of our church building.
During the heart of the Lenten Season, we celebrated daily and weekly mass in the parish center as we prepared to enter more fully into the mystery of the Resurrection.
With perfect timing, the renovations to the interior of our place of worship and prayer were completed in early April. On Saturday, April 5, 2014, Fr. Bob Smith presided over our first Mass at 5 pm after greeting everyone at the doors of the church. As excited parishioners marveled at the transformation of the space and reveled in the newly upholstered pews, the space was filled with an unmistakable spirit of delight and appreciation for those who had labored for so long to make this a reality.
So as we come to the end of our Lenten journey and embrace the joy of the Easter Season, we invite you to enjoy the photos that will serve as a reminder to all of us that after the darkness and emptiness of Lent, the light of Our Savior awaits us. Many thanks to parishioner Lisa Gomes for providing these photos.
Opening Prayer – Return to the Transformed Church
April 5-6, 2014
Holy and Loving God,
You are ever generous and gracious in bestowing upon us your many gifts.
We praise and thank your for your every blessing.
We offer, then, our heartfelt praise and thanks for
our renewed and transformed place of prayer.
We ask your blessing upon our new pews where we will gather as your family,
sit to listen attentively to your Word, kneel with humble, grateful hearts.
We ask your blessing as well upon our refinished floor,
which will know the many steps of our ongoing journey together,
both in sorrow and in great joy.
And we ask your blessing upon our new Baptismal Font
where we will welcome daughters and sons into your holy Church
and where we will always remember our own dignity as your Beloved Children.
Praise to you, O Holy and Loving God,
for the great generosity of so many,
for the hands and hearts of those who designed and crafted
our pews and floor and font,
for all who have prepared our transformed space for our gathering today.
As we continue our journey through this season of Lent,
may our transformed church inspire us to give ourselves more fully
to the transformation of our hearts
that they may be more like the heart of your Son.
For by your help, we beseech you, Lord our God,
that we may walk eagerly in that same charity
with which, out of love for the world,
your Son handed himself over to death.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
