April 17, 2016

Dear People of God,

Congratulations to Keith Watson as well as his parents and relatives.  Keith is making his First Holy Communion at our 10:00 am Mass this weekend. Keith has been faithfully meeting with Ann Deer and Charlene Talir, Sundays after 10:00 am Mass for the last several months.  Keith has applied himself to his studies, completed homework, and asked questions to represent himself as a fully rounded disciple of Christ.  His will not be an empty outward show of faith, but a true loving reception of Jesus into his heart, truly present in the consecrated host when he receives Jesus this weekend.  Congratulations Keith!

Speaking of Sacramental preparation,  we already have two more young people whose parents want them to make their First Holy Communion and are interested in joining our Youth Faith Formation program at St. Luke’s.  One step at a time. We will build up our ministries, to serve others and to build up the membership at our parish.  We will also have some interesting speakers coming…please stay tuned as we will release more information as it becomes available. St. Luke’s will be a Stewardship parish where we long to return love to Jesus who has loved us so much.  Time, talent, and treasure!

Looking around the church grounds, we can see our Easter bulbs and azaleas, which we used in church, replanted outside around the Church and rectory.  Typically the bulb plants will re-bloom next spring, generally later than Easter but still welcome color for our landscape.  The florist variety azaleas may be too tender for our winters, but we can take the chance that they may adapt to life outdoors.  This is true recycling, where we enjoy the beauty of these plants which would otherwise be thrown away.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful cards and prayers my family has received after the funeral of my father, George Hopping.  Everything went well generally, with a lot of healing happening among invitees and family.  May we all have grace filled family gatherings when we support our deceased family members who enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Easter Joy to You All,

Fr. John-Paul