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A huge THANK-YOU to all who donated to our Projector Fund. As of this writing (July 9), we have REACHED OUR GOAL amount. Without your generosity, it simply would not have been possible.

First, a big thank you to those who gave to replace the projectors.  You may have seen the screens.  Although they are larger than the old ones, there will also be more music per line.  The new projectors will be laser rather than bulb orientated.  Thus they should be brighter and more easily seen and read.  Without the generous donors who gave we would have had to dip into savings once again.

Our 2-week build begins Monday, July 15 and we are in urgent need for 80 more volunteers throughout the 10 days. Join us in helping build a home for a deserving family.

I am truly grateful for the warm welcome that has been extended to me by so many of you since the beginning of my transition as the new Director of Social Justice.

With the departure of Roxanne Smith as head of our Social Justice programs the parish conducted a pretty expansive search to find someone who was willing and able to step into her shoes. We found a great young man (he is young enough to be my grandson!), Alex Blechle. Alex was from Missouri and is a recent graduate from St. John’s University near St. Cloud.

There was a news story the other day about how being connected to our exercise apps may not be good all the time.  We set goals for ourselves, which is good.  But we check our apps all the time.

Roxanne Smith is retiring after more than 30 years of work for the parish in our social justice department. She began shortly after the parish began to do some of the work in this field.

During the coming fiscal year there are a number of maintenance projects that we are looking into having completed within the next 12 months. They include repairing broken and dangerous concrete, two of our air conditioning units have reached the end of their life expectancy and repair, the new projectors for the worship space and maintenance of windows in the building as well as in the church.

Did you know that the money you give to the Catholic Services Appeal goes for specific services offered throughout the diocese? And now that we have reached our goal, 100% of what you give comes back to the parish.

At the end of May we enter the period of time when we are at the lowest of attendance at the parish and the lowest of contributions.  Many of you travel to other locations for vacation or other trips.  Please take the good news of your worship experience here to those locations.

As you may have heard at church one of our projectors for music and pictures has died.  New technology requires that the machines be updated.  We are currently going through the process to have several companies give us proposals.

If you are reading this then you have a reason to give thanks to God for your mother.

As a small child one of my favorite books was “The Little Engine Who Could”.  He could pull the train to the top of the hill.  That seems appropriate as I reflect upon your great response to my call for increased donations to the parish.

The Parish of St. Joseph the Worker is made up of over 2000 households, over 90 zip codes, and extremely talented people. When you put them all together you get a dynamic congregation that is involved in lots of activities and providing service to many people within our towns and cities.

Dear Billionaires and Millionaires, ​​​​​​​You certainly have seen or heard about the terrible destruction of much of the wooden structure of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  This huge loss is viewed all over the world by Catholics who mourn the terrible loss of such a historical structure. 

During this final week of Lent we see clearly how Jesus humbles himself to the will of the Father.  He does not lash out in anger but meekly accepts the cross.  How sharply that contrasts with our society today. 

It's Fast, Easy and Convenient! When you register by June 1, you will receive the early discount rate.

Last week I spoke about St. Ilia Delio and her explanation of a new concept about God, creation, and human understanding of our relationship with creation. When you look at history and the comprehension of creation, human existence, and how we relate to God from hundreds and thousands of years ago, those things make sense.

There is a new author that I am reading, Sr. Ilia Delio, a Franciscan from Washington, D.C. She gives great insight into the new understanding of cosmology. Moving from a flat earth understanding to one where the earth is just one orb spinning through space along with millions of other planets and sun, our understanding of God and Jesus Christ has undergone a radical change.

It is wonderful to go into social hall after Mass and seeing so many children eating and playing.  It is one of the things that keeps them coming back.  What keeps you coming back?