What a day we had last Sunday!!! Hopefest was a great success and as far as I could see everyone had a great time. I know I did. My friends in Switchback were really impressed with the community and the atmosphere and are excited about trying to come back again next year. They saw what I see all the time, a great parish with wonderful people. Many thanks to all the volunteers who made it such a wonderful day. Everyone who contributed any time, talent, or treasure to the day has my gratitude and that of the entire parish. Those of you who prayed for good weather might have done the best job of all. God truly blessed us. Of course the most thanks goes to Geriann Gentile who coordinated the whole event. It was my first and I am looking forward to my next. It was great to see the red scooter with Father Tom around for most of the day. The good Monsignor seemed to approve of the sweet table and Father Mannion e-mailed me that he was here in spirit but was not quite up to it. With luck he will be back to celebrate liturgy with us in September. It was a day I will remember. I hope you all had fun. We’ll do it again next year.
It is hard to believe but the summer is almost over and the new school year is about to begin. I hope that all of you have registered your children for the religious education program. It is the responsibility of all parents to provide religious education for their children and we have an excellent program here to help with that obligation. We keep the program at an affordable level but money should never be a factor involved in whether you enroll your children or not. All of our children should be attending religious education classes. If you haven’t signed them up yet please call the office or come in and register today. Classes begin September 7th. Let’s share our faith with the future generations of Catholics.
Our newly formed Adult Education committee is working on some projects for the parish this coming year. We are planning a day of Recollection during Advent and we are planning a Mission to take place during Lent this year. There will also be other opportunities for adult religious education provided during the year including more scripture classes and tutorials on the new translations of the Mass texts. We hope to give all the people of Our lady of Hope chances to learn about and grow in their faith. Continue to watch these pages and when we have firmed up dates and topics for the recollection and Mission we will be announcing them here.
For the next two weeks I will be taking a vacation in Wisconsin fighting off evil Packer fans. Considering my track record I would warn any friends or family in that state that they are in for a spell of bad weather. I will be gone for two Sundays and I will miss all of you but before things get hectic, I need a little time to chase the little white ball around and catch up on my relaxing. I leave you in the capable and loving hands of the best staff in the Archdiocese. I know that you will be cared for.
When I return from vacation I want to begin to work on the project of having a time for Eucharistic Adoration available here at Our Lady of Hope. If you would like to help with this project please call Mary Puente and tell her that you would like to help in making this goal of the Parish Council a reality. We will begin working on this project in September.
This morning I got to church early enough to participate in the Rosary. It was really a prayerful experience and I want to encourage people to join our faithful group that prays Our Lady’s special prayer prior to the 8:30 morning mass. They begin about 8 AM. It is a wonderful way to start the day.
No soup the next two weeks. It will be ready again in September. Have a great week. Pray for your parish. Know you are loved and live that love.
Fr. Clem