Dear Family,
This week marks a very special week for us here at St. Patrick’s, in the coming days our new St. Patrick’s Newsletter will start arriving in homes. This newsletter, which comes out monthly marks the beginning of our parish alliance with Catholic Stewardship Consultants or CSC. I am excited for this new chapter in our parish and believe it will help us live as more intentional disciples of the Lord Jesus and share His message in our greater community.
Shortly after my arrival, I was introduced to the work of our parish Stewardship Committee and its history. As time progressed, and this pandemic has proved, I realized we are a Stewardship parish; we just haven’t put a name to it. By identifying the prominent role of stewardship in our parish we are able to be more intentional in living stewardship out in all aspects of our daily life and we can fully take advantage of the benefits that stewardship brings to us and our parish.
Now that I have claimed that stewardship is a hallmark of our parish, it begs the question: What is stewardship? There are many different ideas and approaches. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops penned a document on stewardship entitled, “Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response.” At worst, stewardship is seen as a push toward tithing ten percent of one’s income, the most popular understanding is seen as the use of the “3 T’s” time, talent and treasure. But stewardship is more than what we do. More than habits, stewardship is a way of life, it is a spirituality.
My main motivation in working with CSC is that they place first importance on “time”-God time. The time we spend in prayer, in participating in the Sacraments, in learning about our faith. We have such a strong presence and practice of this already in St. Patrick’s, we have an opportunity to share the many ways we do this and to learn how it’s affected other people’s relationship with our Lord.
As our relationship with the Lord grows, we have a deeper understanding that all we have in life is a gift from God and we want to use those gifts to make a return to the Lord. That is first done by sharing our talent to help advance His kingdom on earth. How we use the treasure God has entrusted to us reflects our commitment to caring for the gifts He has given us. Together we will learn more on what this means, how we as a community and individuals see our lives as a gift to God.
The monthly newsletter will feature activities, events, and ministries from our parish. It is my hope that we will be inspired and encouraged to take a new step in the practice of our faith and in building up God’s kingdom. I personally, am looking forward to the faith sharing aspect of the newsletter, each month we learn how our fellow parishioners find and live for God in daily life. As we move forward CSC will help us develop a more robust parish life and guide us in how to bring more of our friends and families to share in the vibrant community that is St. Patrick’s. Join me in prayer, asking the Lord that this new venture bear much fruit within our community.
With all my love,
Your Father in Christ,
Fr. Estrella
We, the parish of St. Patrick Church, being one community growing in faith and proclaiming our belief in the message and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, invite all to open their hearts, hear His call, and become one with the Body of Christ.
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Fridays in Lent- 6:30 PM
Inside the Church
40 Hours Adoration
March 4th - March 6th
Please consider spending time with Our Lord in his Eucharistic presence during this season of Lent.
All are invited, sign-ups are not required. If you would like to sign-up so that we can be certain that all hours are covered, please click HERE.
Thursday, March 4th
5:00- Mass
6:00 PM
Procession w/ the Blessed Sacrament
Exposition Begins
Friday, March 5th
Exposition all Day
Saturday, March 6th
10:00 AM
Procession Back to the Church Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Mass to conclude 40 Hour Adoration