Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,<\/p>\n
Blessed weekend to everyone! I hope the milder weather has been a good break for everyone. Several people have asked about my continuing education week\u2014it really was great and refreshing! We focused on the priest as spiritual father and different kinds of prayer, among several other great sessions. Hopefully we will be able to share many good fruits from that week as we move forward!<\/p>\n
After a couple of weeks to focus on the great gift of our school and how so many have grown during their time here, we arrive at commitment weekend for our Changing Lives St. Philomena Tuition Assistance Campaign<\/em>. During the last year and half, I have often spent time praying in our church and walking around our parish campus\u2026pausing to take in the architecture of our church and school\u2026and thinking about all those good faithful people who came before us. I think about our previous pastors and parish leaders who had a vision for how our parish could grow. I reflect often on how the generosity of people through the years has given our parish a strong and steady foundation. These last weeks I have especially enjoyed thinking about how students grow here and how, just like our alumni shared a couple of weeks ago, the lifelong impact of our church and school will be with them for decades to come.<\/p>\n As a parish, we are in a similar position to those who have called St. Philomena home through the years\u2014those who gave their best to build our original school, those who gave their best to build our church and to add on to the school, those who gave their best to start our School Endowment, those who gave their best to build our parish center, and those who gave their best each week to support all the good ministry and life that happens here. This weekend we have an opportunity to give our best to keep our parish vibrant and growing. As we have shared these past couple weeks, the success of this campaign is a gift that will positively impact our parish in many ways. The success of this campaign is a gift to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The success of this campaign truly is an investment in our future\u2026especially in the future of our greatest treasure\u2014our children.<\/p>\n