That Awkward Time
Almost a month ago we discerned that the Holy Face of Jesus would be the new name of our Family of Parishes. There have been a number of exciting conversations and discussions about this new identity. Parishioners have shared their own intrigue about the Holy Face of Jesus, some have wanted to begin initiatives, and someone even discussed a mural dedicated to the Face of Jesus. This is all very exciting.
When we announced the name a couple weeks ago, I said that the name would be the “Holy Face of Jesus Family of Parishes.” It turns out that this is a bit of a mouthful, so we decided to shorten the name a little bit. We will delete a couple words and be known as, “Holy Face of Jesus Parishes.” This should make things a little bit easier.
You’ll notice that the cover of the bulletin reflects this change. This will kick off an awkward transition time over the next year and a half. Some things, like the website and our email addresses, will say “Petersburg Parishes.” There will be a transition phase as we begin to utilize our new name and phase the old name out. Ultimately we hope to have all of this completed by July 2024. In the meantime, we will have to be accustomed to the awkward transition.
As changes are happening, we will try to do two things. The first thing is to accompany transitions with events and ceremonials. For example, we may have a party and catechetical night to launch a new logo. These ceremonies, while awkward, are incredibly helpful for transitions in life. We ceremonialize changes in our life regularly. A wedding is a definitive change to our lives. A funeral acknowledges that life is different. A retirement party reminds us that our career is ending and the fun begins! We will have events to celebrate our past and look forward to a new beginning.
On top of the events to mark transitions, we will also attempt to have catechesis. It is important for us to reflect on the Holy Face of Jesus. There are so many different things to discuss like what is the significance of the face of God in the Old Testament? Where in the Gospels do we see descriptions of the face of Jesus? How has devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus developed over the decades? As we move forward over the next 18 months, we will have opportunities to learn about the Holy Face of Jesus and what this means for our identity.
I hope that everyone had an opportunity to attend our Eucharistic Festival last week. It wraps up at noon on Sunday, February 5th so there is still time to venerate the relics and learn about Eucharistic Miracles! Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and energy to make this happen. Without our staff and volunteers, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off this great week!
Finally, if you haven’t yet, please complete the Disciple Maker Index. There is information in the bulletin about how to complete this survey.
Have a blessed week and may the Face of Jesus Christ shine upon you!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Sean Wilson
