Pastors Notes from September 3, 2023
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September 5, 2023“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” (St. Francis of Assisi)
Labor Day weekend, our last hooray of the summer, and a pause in gratitude for the work we are entrusted with. Next weekend (Sunday, Sept. 10th, 10am) we will have the “Outdoor Mass” at the shelter, McHose Park. A complimentary light brunch to follow sponsored by the KC’s with the park surroundings ready for families and children. No Mass that Sunday at the church. During the Mass we will have a 9/11 Remembrance.
Next week every household will receive a letter from Bishop Nickless and information for “Together As One,” the annual appeal to support the diocesan outreach programs for Youth Ministry, Vocations & Seminary Formation, Religious Education, Ministries for Minorities, Marriage Preparation, and First Communion & Confirmation preparation. Before you each receive the pledge information and the Bishop’s letter, thank you for your support in the past enabling these ministries to directly support our own efforts on the parish level and your prayerful consideration for this year’s support of Together as One. They set the combined goal for our three churches in Boone County at $47,388.00. Anything received above our goal will be returned to our parish.
May I offer a brief prayer reflection on this Labor Day weekend for each of us regardless of our work, profession, hours, or benefits:
Prayer: God our Creator, Make me value not being paid by the hour, but from what I bring to the hour. Allow me to be justifiably proud at the end of the day. Amen.
Scripture: Workers, regard your supervisors with respect as if you were serving the requests of Christ. Your true self is the person you are when no one’s watching or judging you. You need no one’s approval but the Lord’s, and he reads only the intentions of your heart. Remember, whether you obey or give orders, what the Lord rewards is your sincere striving. (Ephesians 6:5-8)
Reflection: “Our patterns of work and rest reveal what we believe to be true about God and ourselves. God alone requires no limits on his activity. To rest is to acknowledge that we humans are limited by design. We are created for rest just as surely as we are created for labor. An inability or unwillingness to cease from our labors is a confession of unbelief, an admission that we view ourselves as creator and sustainer of our own universes.”(Jen Wilkin, Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands)
Closing Prayer: Lord on this Labor Day, we thank You for the blessing of work. We ask for strength to complete each day. We ask for rest when we are weary. We ask Your guidance for everyone seeking employment, and we ask that You be with those whose faces we might never see
but who work tirelessly each day for the good of us all. Amen.
(from Our Sunday’s Visitor & William O’Malley, Connecting With God) As the school year and activities get into full swing, we as a parish are offering different opportunities of faith beginning this month. Please see the bulletin for the gatherings that could impact your personal faith, whether at work, at home, with family or in social situations. One such opportunity for those seeking to learn more about our Catholic-Christian faith and seek to be received into the Church is RCIA (Rites of Christian Initiation for Adults). We begin our gatherings the third week of September. Call the office if interested or if you have questions. Thank you.
And, as I mentioned at the beginning of summer, we hope to begin a Pastoral Council serving the needs of all three communities within Ascension Parish. My hope is to have individuals from the three churches to participate on pastoral council, meeting 4 to 6 times a year. Pastoral councils focus on those things which pertain to pastoral works. The aim of a council is to make the life and activity of the Church conform ever ore closely to the Gospel. Councils are established because they seek practical, wise, and prudent advice on pastoral matters: outreach, hospitality, liturgy, faith-sharing, community, Catholic-Christian identity. If interested and willing to share your time and faith please call the parish office; likewise, if you have questions or need further information please contact me. Thank you.
God bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it.” (Henry Ford)
