Last Sunday at Mass, it hit me with a joyful thwap how much I love our parish. When I first came to work in the office – slightly less than an eternity ago - I was clueless as to all that goes on here, besides Mass. The Catholic Women’s League and the Knights of Columbus are a huge part of the fabric of our parish; their involvement in the church and the community is immeasurable and should make us all proud. Our Catholic Charities ministry, likewise, does much good for the community. They are a behind-the-scenes group I didn’t even know existed till I worked here. They make sure a steady stream of emergency groceries are on hand for those in need, as well as assist with the needs of various organizations downtown. I get to see these people coming and going, quietly doing the work our Lord calls us to do. It’s inspiring. Many of your neighbours, sitting in the pew beside you or behind you, are busy doing these wonderful things so unassumingly, that you are not even aware. That is such a beautiful thing. I know who they are and what they do and it fills my heart with pride for this community of faith. Many of those who are involved in the CWL and the K of C are also part of the Catholic Charities ministry; many visit the sick, bring Communion to the homebound, volunteer at OSHaRE, do a thousand little things over and over for the sake of their neighbours and for the love of our Lord. Are you one of them? If not, is there something you could do to add to the many talents being put to good use in our parish?
Maybe you’re good at sewing. There’s prayers and squares – they gather weekly, making beautiful prayer quilts. The prayerful impact their quilts provide for those who need them makes me wish I could sew. My sister brought her prayer quilt to every treatment; she would finger the knots and feel the prayers, of loving strangers, working for her. Perhaps you’re good with kids, so Children’s Liturgy would be an obvious choice for your talents. Or maybe you’re very social, with an uplifting spirit and visiting the sick would be a wonderful way for you to represent our parish in the community.
I love our parish for who we are and what we do…but there’s always room for improvement, isn’t there? by
Margery Frisch