Father Bob’s Weekly Message
“Come, Follow Me…and heal our world”
This weekend, our parish will be conducting the Annual Catholic Appeal in-pew Commitment Weekend. Please remember that the Annual Catholic Appeal is much different than a one-time special collection. It is a pledge campaign where you can make a gift payable in installments. The Annual Catholic Appeal theme, “Come, follow me… and heal our world,” was selected to remind us to continue to answer Jesus’ call to follow Him in thought, word and deed by providing the necessary contribution to fund ministries and services to share God’s love with many others in our parish and our archdiocese. Each pledge makes a difference! All parishes communities participate in the campaign and the gifts of many enable our parishes, schools, and ministries to deliver needed services. Thank you for your prayerful consideration and generous response.
Letter from Cardinal Cupich
Dear Friends in Christ,
“Come, follow me… and heal our world.” We have been listening to the call of Jesus to follow him these past three years. Each time we come to understand more fully what following him means. Today’s Gospel helps us to see that following him means healing our troubled and fragile world.
Notice how Jesus brings healing precisely where we need it in our lives and relationships. When confronted by anger, he offers peace and right relationships. When tempted to be unfaithful in our commitments, he offers the grace of faithful and life-giving love. And, when we become trapped in self-deception and lies, he liberates us with the truth of his unconditional love and mercy.
His healing gifts of peace, love, mercy and truth are needed now more than ever in our Church, our nation, our world, and in our families. We all need Christ’s healing, and when we accept it, he empowers us to be his healing presence in our world. Healing others has always been the proof of the discipleship we share as a community.
Through the Annual Catholic Appeal, we together join Christ in his great work, by helping parishes and schools in need, supporting programs of faith formation, and those that promote justice, peace, and respect for life. But, we also reach out to the world, to bring healing to people who suffer natural disasters, famine, homelessness and war. All of this makes a difference because it is the work of Christ.
As you come forward to receive the Eucharist today, I pray that your act of faith in the presence of Christ, who died and came back from the dead for us, will inspire you to continue his healing mission in our world and in our time. Listen to his voice saying to you in the quiet of your hearts: “Come follow me… and heal our world.” Then take up with fresh vigor the discipleship that binds us together, knowing that as we generously share the blessings God has given us in the annual appeal, our local church and the world will know the healing ministry of Christ. On behalf of all those who benefit from the appeal, I say thanks.
Cardinal Blasé Cupich
Calendar
-Bible Study at Good Shepherd Tower on Weds, February 19 at 12:00 noon. All are welcome.
-Saturday, February 22nd Mobile Food Pantry at St. Elizabeth Church Hall. Volunteers needed at 7:00 am to help unload the Food Truck.
-Sunday, February 23, 2020 Joint Parish Mass at St Elizabeth at 10:30 am. Celebrating Black History Month-All our invited to wear cultural dress all month and especially next Sunday.
-Saturday, March 14th –9:00-11:30 am at St. Anselm Hall -Renew My Church Meeting with Parish Councils/Finance Councils from St. Ambrose, St. Anselm, Corpus Christi, St. Elizabeth, Holy Angles, St. Thomas the Apostle