Letters from Fr. Carlos

 

Recent events have brought this scripture passage to the forefront during my prayers. Reminding me that no matter what is going on in our lives, be it good or bad, living life constantly ruminating about the past—or conversely, worrying about the future—is not only psychologically unhealthy, but sacrifices the grace God may be providing for us in the present.  

 

And so I have asked our staff to begin to ponder what He might possibly be asking of us in the here and now.

 

With their help, and the generosity of so many of our parishioners who have stepped up from among the parish in this moment of need, we are aiming to ensure that all our children (those in the school and those in our community) can continue to be offered sacramental prep here at St. Josaphat. We are still working out all the details, but we are confident that the faith formation for our First Communion and Confirmands will continue.

We have also begun exploring how we can restructure and put in place more concrete protocols that will help the church and school communicate better, not only when it comes to the sacramental offerings that are needed, but especially in times of crisis.

I am currently working to hire a pastoral associate (this was Mary Jane Sullivan’s position on our church staff), and am considering some internal restructuring, so that we can run more efficiently and serve our community well.

 

Finally, the JosaFest Committee, under the leadership of Jim Malooly and his team, have worked tirelessly to make sure that we can still go forward with our celebration this weekend. I am grateful for their hard work and care in helping us come together again as a community of faith.

 

I will be the first to admit that I do not have all the answers. But I place my trust in the Good Shepherd who does, our Lord Jesus Christ, to guide us through this dark valley and bring us to greener pastures.

 

May we all be open to his love, mercy and forgiveness in this present moment, and trust in his sometimes mysterious plan for our lives.

 

Christ’s peace be with you,