Praise and thanksgiving

As we prepare for Thanksgiving and filling up on turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, I think it is important for us to be thankful for the many good things in our lives. God is indeed good to each one of us. So, I want to start off where I usually end my bulletin articles with thanksgiving for how good you all have been to me as pastor of NW-7. I am never disappointed by the many good things God bestows upon me. He has certainly been good in giving me parishioners that so desire to live their faith and be friends of Jesus. You have welcomed me and the other priests of our Family of Parishes into your communities. What a gift this has been to us priests. I also have an amazing staff at NW-7. Dedicated, prayerful, and hardworking people in our offices and on our ground make my life so much better.

Please remember that next weekend, November 27, we will have our first Mass Plus event at Holy Angels following the 11:00 a.m. Mass in the Holy Angels School Gym. This will be an opportunity for you to get to know your Faith better and to know your priests better.

For all couples who sit in our pews and have been married for five years or more: Please note that as we begin the implementation of the Witness to Love Mentor Model of marriage preparation across our Family of Parishes, you may be selected by an engaged couple to be their mentor couple and walk with them through the marriage process. Hopefully, you will build a friendship that goes beyond their wedding day.

In January through February 2023, several Families of Parishes from across the archdiocese (including our Family of Parishes) will participate in collecting information/input from the Disciple Maker Index (DMI) survey. This survey can be completed by any parishioner (meaning not just one member from each household but each parishioner 18 and older). This survey is 75 questions long and asks you to reflect on where you are in your personal faith journey. So, I encourage you to prepare for this by reflecting prayerfully on where you are at in your respective journey in the Catholic Faith. What is your relationship with God like? What is your relationship with the Church like? What is your relationship with the parish like? I want as many parishioners as possible to complete the DMI so that we can get an accurate snapshot of where our Family of Parishes are at respectively in their lives of faith. So, along with doing it yourself, please encourage others in our pews to do it, as well. The survey is anonymous, so your individual answers will not be observed by anybody in the archdiocese or your parish. The DMI is handled by a third party (the Catholic Leadership Institute).

Thank you finally to Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, who died for my sins and the sins of all. He loves each of us so much and desires for us to follow Him and become the saints He is calling us to be. He is the source of all that is good in our lives. So, do not forget to be thankful to God this Thanksgiving.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn