This weekend is Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II placed this celebration on the calendar on the Sunday after Easter, reminding us that the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ is God’s great gift of mercy.
We have many people who stop by the church or the chapel during the day for quiet prayer. Others come early before Mass or stay for some time after Mass. This is a wonderful place for prayer. I need to be reminded, and I’m not alone, that we want to maintain quiet in the chapel and in the church. If I am talking loudly or making noise, I am probably distracting someone who came for quiet prayer. We’d like to be known as the friendliest parish in town, but let’s do our best to take conversations to the Gathering Space.
Those who are observant will notice that we had seven trees removed from our property last week, all of them visible from Reed Road. One had blown over, one was dead, and one was half-dead. The other four were old silver maples which were scraggly and losing bark. We will replace them with nicer trees.
I am hearing very good feedback from the pictures posted in the Gathering Space of the new building which is in the plans. The exterior is designed to complement the church. The new building will provide a great space for funeral luncheons, OCIA, sacramental prep meetings, youth events, Bible studies, and a host of other meetings. If everything falls in line, we hope to be ready to begin construction in late summer or early fall.
I received a mailing from Deeper Still, Northern Indiana, an organization which offers retreats for women and men who have abortion in their past and are in need of healing. I don’t know much about this organization, but their website looks promising. It is not a Catholic initiative, but Christ-centered.
