The Pastor's Pen

June 26, 2022, Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catholic Appeal:  The Annual Catholic Appeal will be coming to a close this week on Thursday, June 30th; all pledges and donations should be mailed by that date; materials to do so are still available at the entrances to the Church.   Gratitude is extended to the 350  households of the parish who, understanding the demands placed upon the church to offer charitable, social, pastoral, and educational services and the ever-increasing costs of doing so, have generously pledged or donated $88, 473. 87 to this request for help from our bishop.  Giving to this appeal enables us to be very much a part of the good works being carried out in the name of all the Catholic people of the Diocese of Fall River.  Anything, that out of love, we do for church and charity will certainly return to bless us as God is never outdone in generosity, so may the blessings returning to those willing to contribute to this important annual appeal be abundant.

Organ Failure:  The bad news is that our church organ, in the repair shop since before Easter, is not able to be repaired such that it would be reliable for the foreseeable future.   We are grateful to have the loaner organ that has served us from Easter until now.   The good news is that the company from which the organ was bought, and which has maintained it over the years has offered the parish a floor model of the most recent version of our organ at a greatly reduced price.    The even better news is that the Catholic Women’s  Club has donated $5000 to the parish which will be used toward the purchase of the new organ, and another generous parishioner has given $1000., so our remaining cost is $63,900 of what should have cost over $140,000!   Any and all additional contributions toward the purchase of the new organ are welcome!

What’s Happening?  This is the question posed by many as they see evidence of something going on in the back parking lot these days.    That something is the several times delayed, thus long-awaited, construction of the solar ports under which parishioners will be parking by summer’s end, and which will perhaps be more greatly appreciated in the winter and at other times of inclement weather.   The ports with solar panels on the roof will generate energy to be sold to the power companies, the parish will receive monthly rental income for the use of our property,  and a reduction in the cost per kWh that we pay for power.  Thus,  the solar ports are a win-win situation,  helping the parish financially while protecting our parishioners from the elements and at the same time doing something significant for the environment as a source of clean energy! 

Bishop’s Blog: Did you know that Bishop da Cunha has a blog? In his weekly posts, Bishop da Cunha shares thoughts and reflections, prayers, and experiences from his ministry as bishop of our Diocese of Fall River. The blog includes photos, other media, and helpful links. Be inspired and be informed! Subscribe to Bishop da Cunha’s blog: https://www.fallriverdiocese.org/bishops-blog