Past Festivals and Future Parties

A few weeks ago, we had the annual St. Joseph Festival. It was a wonderful event with beautiful weather. The number of parishioners that volunteered is astonishing. Fr. Willig commented about the size and scope of the festival on multiple occasions. It is a very impressive operation.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered at the festival. One of the joys of volunteering is the friendships that form and the relationships that are strengthened. Getting to spend time working alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ is usually an uplifting experience. Oftentimes the work is exhausting, but the relationships are life giving. I especially appreciated the times that I was able to speak with parishioners at a deeper level. There is always a lot of small talk about the crowd size or the weather, but it is always nice to have deep conversations about life. A parishioner shared with me the story of their return to the Catholic Church after years of being away. It was incredibly uplifting.

It was wonderful to see people from all four parishes at the festival. Even some of our parishioners from a parish other than St. Joseph volunteered for the festival. This is great on many levels. First it is good to be together and get to know each other. On top of that, many of the funds support ministries across our four parishes. The proceeds of the festival support initiatives, like the recent Steubenville Conference, which took high school students from all four parishes to a powerful retreat. Many of our salaries, including mine, are split between the four parishes. In short, we are grateful that the St. Joseph Festival was a success because all four of our parishes benefit from the festival.

Another exciting recent event: Deacon Jeff Little has started preaching at Sunday Mass. Deacon Jeff was ordained a deacon in April 2022 and he has served in many ways since then. Deacons preside at weddings, baptize children, offer benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and much more. When it comes to preaching at Sunday Mass, the policy in our Archdiocese is that the deacon must take an extra class to receive proper training. Deacon Jeff is currently in this class. As he preaches for the next 7 or 8 months, he will first test-drive the homily in his class. In addition, a group of parishioners is offering him feedback on his homilies. Please pray for him as he begins this new endeavor.

I hope to see everyone at the Parish Pool Party on Monday. We haven’t had the pool party for a couple years. For a while, the pool was struggling to find lifeguards and we had the pandemic. It is great to have the pool party again. It is a wonderful evening to soak up the sun, show off your best belly flop, and make a big ole splash. Thanks to everyone who is volunteering at the event. There will be hot dogs and hamburgers, so make sure to thank the grill master.

May you continue to have a blessed summer!

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Sean Wilson