More Than One Way to Give
Written by: Jeff Theis, Chair of the Pastoral Council
As the Holy Father Pope Benedicts intimates in his Lenten message, all good things come from God. As Catholic Christians we are asked to be always mindful of that and forever grateful by demonstrating acts of charity and humility in appreciation of the abundance so many of us possess.
Our charitable giving need not only be financial in nature, but, it should be diverse and far reaching, taking many forms. From time to time, (Lent is always a very good time), we need to consider our charitable activities and assess how we might increase the share our first fruits.
Charity can be manifested by the simple act of a welcoming gesture to a stranger or a new parish member. It can be the acceptance of a burden like serving on a Parish committee. It can be sponsoring a child in poverty in another land.
Charity can be very personal at times and impersonal, or even anonymous, at other times. It can be in the form of service or support to those who are financially and/or spiritually impoverished, such as the women served by the Maria House or Theresa Shelter.
Charity can be the participation in prison ministry, donating to St. Vincent DePaul, or contributing to our monthly food collection put on by the Social Justice Committee.
Meet Father Podhajsky
Living Stations of the CrossLast night's youth performance of the Living Stations of the Cross was outstanding! CLICK HERE to see all of the photos.
Altar ServersWe will be welcoming some new altar servers for training in January to begin serving in March. Please CLICK HERE to download the handbook. Thank you for continuing to serve our Parish! Work As Through Everything Depends on You!Written by: Jeff Theis, Chair of the Pastoral CouncilAs announced last quarter, each newsletter will have one of four themes adopted from our Parish Mission Statement: Worship, work, charity and fellowship. This quarter, as we examine the concept of “work” in our Christian lives and in the life of our parish, we have to consider that nothing happens by chance, but by the fruits of our labor using the good gifts and talents endowed by God for the betterment of all. The Advent season is a great time then to reflect on the lives of those who inspire us in our work. Mary is perhaps the most perfect human example of the selfless response to the challenge of faith acted out in service. Her simple statement from scripture: “Let it be done to me” is one of the most profound example of selflessness in the entire New Testament. How can we be like Mary? What part of ourselves can we surrender completely to God? How can we serve?
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Fr. Michael Podhajsky is originally from Traer, Iowa. After earning a B.A. in Spanish from Loras College in 1999 he attended seminary at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He earned an M.A. in theology and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque on March 31, 2003. He served as associate pastor in three different parishes: St. Joseph's in Mason City, Holy Ghost in Dubuque where he also served as sacramental priest for the St. Lasalle Pastorate in northern Dubuque County, and St. Jude's in Cedar Rapids. He returned to Washington, DC for further studies and earned a degree in canon law from the Catholic University of America in July 2011. Fr. Podhajsky currently serves as pastor of Holy Family, New Melleray, as a judge on the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and sacramental priest for the Hispanic community at St. Patrick's, Dubuque.
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