Dear Parishioners and Friends:

Today I must stop during Mass and invite everyone to make a pledge to the annual Cardinal’s Appeal. I hope that each of us has been able to give some thought to what we might be able to do. The Appeal seeks our help in meeting the costs of operating the Diocesan Offices upon which all of the parishes depend as well as supports: Mission and Evangelization, Needy Parishes, Catholic Schools and Religious Education, Works of Charity, Care for Retired Priests and Religious, and Clergy Formation. Thank you for your understanding, patience, and generosity.
 
Please be aware that on Saturday May 19^th the Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated at the 5:30PM Mass. I want to give everyone fair warning so that those who wish to attend this special Mass are able, and those who would prefer a regular Sunday Mass can attend at another time that weekend.
 
Saturday May 5^th is the Moving with the Spirit fundraiser, which, this year, will support some necessary repairs and items needed for our theatre. Thanks to the generosity of some donors and the hard work of many, the theatre is becoming more and more a truly worthy and more desirable space. It truly is an asset to the parish in different ways, both artistic and financial. This fundraiser will also support our brothers and sisters in need through Catholic Relief Services. My thanks to the Gay Fellowship and Pastoral Council for their work on this evening which promises to be joy filled and fun. Please consider purchasing a ticket in the back of church after Mass, through the parish webpage, or in the Rectory at any time.  
 
Wednesday the Church honors St. Mark the Evangelist. Mark wrote the first and shortest Gospel. Mark was originally a companion of St. Paul but chose not to accompany Paul on one of his missionary journeys. Mark’s Gospel is very much a reflection of the preaching and teaching of St. Peter. Peter was part of an early Christian group that met in Mark’s home in Jerusalem, and Mark eventually joined Peter on his missionary journeys through Asia Minor and to Rome. 
 
Finally, today, Sunday April 22^nd is Earth Day, a good reminder that we as part of God’s creation do in fact cooperate with God’s generous creative power. God’s creation participates in His own handiwork by co-creating in different ways. You and I as human persons, the pinnacle of God’s creation, co-create in a most special way because of the intentionality we carry in our actions…that intentionality bears with it great responsibility. Care for the earth and indeed all of creation is a responsibility we assume as such a special part of the tapestry of all that exists. We have some members of our own parish very active in the Catholic Climate Movement, and each of us in our own ways is called to receive, respect, and pass on God’s gifts of creation.
 
Please pray for peace.
 
Father Duffell