Blog

Do you know what it’s called when something is not happening at St Vincent de Paul (including Sacred Heart School) at any given hour? A wasted hour we could be receiving graces from God and building up the body of Christ! Satan loves a dying inactive church where nothing is happening. No threat to him. He has free reign to do as he pleases. When a parish, such as St Vincent de Paul is active and is overflowing with offerings? Satan is threatened and tries to get us off track by division, gossip, controlling behaviors and more. He’ll want us divided and unsuccessful in any or all of our efforts. The answer? Offer prayer, service, and catechetical opportunities and give all the credit to God and do all of it with joy and thanksgiving for all He has given to each one of us as parishioners. I know we are an active parish, as it should be.  And, it is up to each of us how we will allow God to keep Satan at bay through us and how we will use our gifts and talents for God. As pastor, I can’t do it for anyone but myself. Now, let’s talk a little about what is being offered as we approach Advent. 

We are heading toward the end of November with approximately 260 of our Stewardship Renewal Forms returned (online and in paper.) Excellent as we are hoping for 300 by December 1. With 1200 families in the parish, we can certainly move a lot higher than 300. We have given away almost all of our children and adolescent envelopes and with 2 weeks recorded we have $217 collected and 47 indicating service and prayers tracked. Again, the purpose of these envelopes is to help our families help their children start living the life of a grateful steward from the beginning (not after graduation, starting a career or upon retirement.) The purpose of the collection is not just a way to receive the monetary needs of our parish but also to place all of our life in the basket to be offered up on the altar along with the bread and wine, so we have given everyone Sunday envelopes to put in the collection with the ability to check the box that says “I give on line.” Then, just place the blank envelope in the collection.

Have you noticed some new things around our parish?  Bob Simon made a beautiful ambry for our sacred oils at St. Patrick Chapel; the curio cabinet that used to hold them is near the baptismal font and will be filled with items used at baptism. Where the cabinet was, the Filipino Community donated the statue of, and stand for, Saint Lorenzo Ruiz. The sacristies have been repurposed. The sacristy closest to the main doors is where ministers of Mass are vested and lights and sound are turned on. Everything used in the sanctuary of the church is now stored in the sacristy behind the baptismal area. Doors to the choir loft and entering the choir loft have been purchased and hung by Deacon Rangitsch and Bob Simon. What about those altar servers who are still serving at mass during high school? The cassocks (black robes) and surplices (large white pieces) show the reverence and that they are assisting the younger servers on how to serve. There was a group, who remains anonymous, who purchased those for all 3 chapels. And, the house next to the parking lot has been taken down and now we wait for the ground to settle before parking on it. Thank you to Joe Fischer for overseeing this project. Thanks to Kyle Herrick for overseeing the sealed parking lots at St Patrick, between the rectory and church at Sacred Heart, and lots at the school. We are also grateful of the quick response to get new parts for our water heater so we could have a seamless funeral dinner this past Saturday. Nice work! Grateful! At Sacred Heart, I am so grateful (as are all the priests) for all the work donated to the rectory (Scott Linsenbardt, the walls and ceilings are amazing!) and outside, the patio and accessories are an excellent addition for our mental health! The work at our school is continuous: new front doors; gutters fixed in needed locations and repairs to the back alleyway are next on the docket. Thanks to all who volunteered and worked hard to keep the prices as low as possible. 

Also, as you are aware, Faith Formation continues to be a huge piece of what we do here at St Vincent de Paul. Let’s break down the numbers for 2025: 49 baptisms with 6 more on the schedule; 40 students in Confirmation; 55 students in PSR; 17 discerners in OCIA; 15 members in young adult ministry; 290 Prek-12th grade students in Sacred Heart School; Bible studies: 14 on Monday; 25 on Wednesday; 20 on Thursday; 5 on Saturday; Charismatic Renewal has an average of 55 attending on Friday evenings, and in the past few years, Cursillo English language has added 3 men and 9 women. And, the St. Patrick rectory now is home to two adult faith formation sessions on Sunday Mornings for about 50 adults.

Service outreach at our parish is always a priority: Student Council Food Drive for Open Door; 1200 served at Thanksgiving dinner and another 1200 served at Christmas dinner; 3 different groups helped at Christmas time through our Christmas trees, one at each chapel; Key-Club stocking stuffers for Whiteman Airforce Base; goodie bags for Senior Citizens with Sr. Mary Ruth and the school; dozens of parishioners as paid staff, volunteers and board members on almost every civic helping organization in the county; and more. 

I think it is important to give you a snapshot of St. Vincent de Paul to keep us all on the same page of what is happening at any given time. Again, it’s up to each of us to cooperate (or not) with God’s graces to keep Satan at bay and to receive the graces of God to become more the disciple he is calling each of us to become. We in leadership can offer the opportunities and hopefully here, you are seeing the opportunities are plentiful. Thanks to everyone who makes these happen and participate.