One Nation Under God
Dear Parishioners,
Happy Fourth of July! Happy 250th birthday, America! One thing my travels have taught me for sure is that you won’t find any place like America anywhere else in the world. Our idea of “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” has produced prosperity like no other time or place in history. While we aren’t perfect, we remain the beacon of liberty for all nations.
“For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) God is free, and He created us to be free, so that we could be like Him. This freedom isn’t easy or cheap, and our country has fought hard for it. Let’s continue that legacy of sacrifice and always be grateful for the blessings we enjoy.
Speaking of gratitude, a big thank you again to everyone who helped with our Vacation Bible School. It turned out exceptionally well. Our high school volunteers, parents, and the evangelization team all pitched in for a great time, and the kids had a blast.
I’d like to share three practical notes with you this week:
First, please be on your guard against scammers. No one on the parish staff will ever request money or gift cards via email. One way you can tell the difference between a real message from the parish staff, or a fake message from a scammer is that the parish emails will have an official email signature and all come from an @olodp.org email (versus a gmail or other email provider). When in doubt, please feel free to call the Family of Parishes Office.
Second, another reminder of the St. Bart’s parking lot. Be attentive to the signs about where to enter and exit as the stages progress.
Lastly, as you would have read here in the bulletin last week, I have been named canonical pastor of JPII School this year. The position alternates between the different pastors of the parishes that send kids there. I would very much like to use this year to build up relationships between the school and our parishes! It’s important to remember that the schools we have are ministries of our parishes, and so we should foster connection and support and see them as a prime opportunity for evangelization.
Yours in Christ, with Mary,
Fr. Henry Hoffmann
