Bring on the nominations!

This weekend kicks off a monthlong opportunity to put forth your ideas for the new patron of our Family of Parishes. This is an opportunity for us to focus on what unifies us. As I, the other priests, and parishioners have discussed what our Family of Parishes has in its favor, the most common theme has been the importance of family life within our Family of Parishes. Given this fact, I would encourage you to research different saints related to family life. Excellent examples are Ss. Louis and Zelie Martin, who were the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux and four other daughters. You will find an informational sheet and nomination sheet stuffed in this weekend’s bulletin. Each parishioner is allowed to make one to three different patron nominations. Please remember that you must give a reason for why your patron suggestion would be a fitting patron for the NW-7. We will be collecting your nominations by placing them in the collection basket, turning them in to the office, or by emailing a copy of your completed nomination form to your parish office. This needs to be finished by the last Mass on Tuesday, November 1.

Please remember that each parish will still retain its individual identity, but the new patron will give our Family of Parishes its collective identity. Thus, even after we become one canonical parish, each campus will still be known as Ss. Peter & Paul campus, St. Michael campus, Sacred Heart of Jesus campus, and Holy Angels campus. So, your church building is NOT being renamed.

Again, please pray about a possible patron and remember to provide reasoning for why a patron would be fitting for our Family of Parishes (another possibility is St. Joseph, Pillar of the Family, because family is central to the culture of our Family of Parishes). Invoke the Holy Spirit and ask for His guidance for yourself and our Family of Parishes as we choose our patron. Related to family and married life, it is an amazing thing that we have so many people still getting married in the Church and desiring to put Christ at the center of their marriage. Since each parish does marriage prep a little differently, we are looking at standardizing the marriage prep process across the Family of Parishes. Right now, marriage prep is very priest-reliant, and we are looking at ways to bring more people into the process. This would make the priest’s job more manageable. Also, it would invite more people into the process, giving couples preparing for marriage more tools and resources for their married life together. Whether we like it or not, the culture at large, which is hostile to lifelong marriage, has begun to creep even into our protected bubble of Shelby County. We need to revamp and rethink marriage preparation to help our couples root their marriage in the Faith and give them tools to weather the storms that inevitably come in any vocation. So, keep an eye and ear out for how you can help.

Thank you to our musicians who always do such a wonderful job giving praise to our God and helping to sanctify the faithful. I know they all put in not only an amazing effort at Mass, but also put a lot of time and effort into preparation before Sunday Mass. Music at Mass is meant to lift our hearts to God, the Father, through Jesus Christ, His Son, who offers Himself at each Mass as He offered Himself on the Cross.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn