As the School Year Draws to a Close

We find ourselves approaching the end of the school year and with it the hopes for warm weather and a peaceful and restful summer.  As we move towards the end of the school year, I wanted to inform you that our Parish Secretary, Mrs. Kathy Janusz will be retiring this month.  She has served this parish community for over twenty years and over those years has experienced all the various aspects of parish life and while her duties have changed over the years, one of the constants has been her deep love for St. Mary’s and her desire to serve the needs of the parish and parishioners as they manifest themselves in various ways – from preparing the bulletin, scheduling facilities, taking care of the cemetery, planning social events, registering new parishioners, scheduling funerals and weddings and Mass intentions, bookkeeping work, answering the phone and door – for the past twenty years almost nothing unfolded at St. Mary’s without Kathy providing assistance in some way, shape or form to make it happen.  It will be hard to picture the front office without her and so it’s with sadness for us as she steps into retirement, but hopefully it will be, for her, a time of rest and joy for a job well done.  While she has asked that we not have a parish-wide celebration for her, I think it would be a great gift, when you see her, to thank her for all that she has done over these many years.  We will miss you, Kathy, but may these years of retirement bring new joys!  

Please keep in mind – as the school year draws to a close – our 8th Grade Graduates and all of the graduates in the parish as they step forward into new areas of life – may the Holy  Spirit guide and protect them and may they seek the Lord at all times and in new endeavors.  

This time of year also usually begins the “wedding season” – we have quite a few weddings coming up this Spring, Summer and Fall – please be sure to pray for these couples as they too embark on a new way of life, sharing the joys of married life.  The Sacrament of Marriage is a beautiful witness to human love which is meant to reflect the love of Christ for His Church – a love that is faithful, permanent and fruitful.  May the couples finalizing their wedding preparations always bear witness to this love.  

As you have seen, this year I was writing a series of bulletin articles on the Sacraments.  There are a couple of more to come treating the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, but I was not able yet to do articles on the Sacrament of Marriage nor of the Sacrament of Holy Orders – I plan to complete the series once fall begins.
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Finally, a reminder that everyone is invited to join our 8th Graders and First Communicants at the Annual May Crowning, taking place this Thursday at 6:30 PM.  Following the May Crowning we will process to the new statue in the Atrium Gardens and dedicate the statue.  ​