The Sacred Heart & a Few Updates
Dear Parishioners of the Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,
Happy Summer! I hope you are enjoying vacations and time with children or grandchildren now that school is out.
Just this past week, the Bishops of the U.S., in honor of the 250th year of our country’s founding, consecrated the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. June is the best time for this – the month dedicated to His Most Sacred Heart. We have a real opportunity to devote ourselves to His Sacred Heart and to be open to all that He promises. He invites us to do something like a “spiritual heart transplant,” to exchange our hearts for His, so that we can love others with His Heart. He promises peace and blessings to those who honor His Heart in this way. This connects well with the Scriptures this week, which remind us that we are a priestly people who are all called to reconcile the world to God by proclaiming His Good News and to work in His vineyard.
As I mentioned last week, the work of preparing the Assumption rectory for sale is well underway. This past weekend, we opened the time capsule from 1961, when the cornerstone was laid. There were all sorts of interesting things inside! There were pictures, newspaper articles, devotional items, and memorabilia of the Sisters of Divine Providence, who originally lived in the building and taught at the school. Many lifelong parishioners at Assumption gathered to reminisce and share stories about the sisters, the school, and previous pastors. The reception, the raffle, and the entire event were very well done and brought out a lot of happy memories. It was a very thoughtful and graceful way to close one chapter and begin a new one. Thank you all again for all the hard work to get us to this point.
I am happy to share that a parishioner from St. Clare, Kevin Mosher, has volunteered to help coordinate Love in Action activities across our Family of Parishes. He and his wife have been parishioners at St. Clare for 40 years. He asks everyone to “keep an eye on the bulletin for opportunities to engage and to participate in the numerous Love in Action ministries. These are our chance to become the hands of Jesus and to move us closer to God's Kingdom here on earth.”
You may remember from a while back that the Archdiocese promised to do a financial review of the cost sharing arrangement in the Family of Parishes. That process has now begun, and when we get the results, I’ll let you know.
That’s all for now, folks! Many blessings on summer travels and fun!
Yours in Christ, with Mary,
Fr. Henry Hoffmann
