We live in a world where the internet has become an essential method of communication. Friends and family members no longer have to wait several days to receive a letter. Communication is now instantaneous. Email (and texts, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) have replaced “snail mail” in many cases. Although the speed of internet messaging is a blessing, it may also reduce the intimacy and sensitivity that generally comes from face-to-face conversations, making it easier to be less tactful in our internet dialogue. Indeed, there is a certain sense of anonymity that comes with internet communications that may reduce inhibitions and heighten the level of uncivil language.
The First Friday of each month, the Active Adults invite everyone to gather for breakfast after the 8:15 AM Mass and celebrate all of the birthdays that month .The active adults also sponsor occasional field trips. We are in need of someone to coordinate activities. This is a great opportunity for a single retired person or couple. Please call the parish office if this interests you.
Do you want to grow in your faith? Join the CCD program as a teacher or an assistant for grades K-7. Classes are held on Wednesdays from 3:45 PM to 5:30 PM. For more information call the parish office.
Do you love coffee? Do you love donuts? Do you love people? Then you will love volunteering for this ministry!!! We need help on Sunday mornings after the 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Masses. Call the parish office at if you would like to volunteer.
Today’s Gospel story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) shows the futility of active service which, because it is not based on attentive listening to God’s word and nourished by such listening, becomes mere busyness. When Jesus says to Martha, “You are anxious and worried about many things,” he is not criticizing her for performing the duties of hospitality, but for doing so without first attending to his word. Martha, we might say, is the kind of person who likes to go about doing good without understanding and embracing the underlying reasons for the good that she does. It is almost like being busy just for the sake of being busy! Some would claim that she was providing hospitality to Jesus and his disciples, but would not the first order of hospitality be to attend to what Jesus was saying?
We have a number of parishioners who are not able to attend Mass due to age or illness and would like to receive the Eucharist. If you can spare as little as an hour a week we would love to have you join our group of ministers. Please call the parish office at 265-5868 for more information.
I would like to share some information regarding the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as “Last Rites” or “Extreme Unction” (“Last Anointing”). In the celebration of this Sacrament of the Church, the Priest lays hands upon the ill person (typically on the top of their head) and then anoints them by applying the Oil of the Sick to the forehead and palms of the hands while offering prayers including: “May the Lord, in His love and mercy, help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin, save you, and raise you up.” Through this Sacrament the Priest prepares a gravely ill person to receive medical care, and ultimately prepares such a person for the passage to eternal life.
Our Lady of Fatima Parish is in need of a pickup truck in good running condition for use by the maintenance staff. The cosmetic appearance of the truck is not all that critical, but it must have automatic transmission and be able to pass the emissions test. If you have a pickup truck that you are willing to donate to the Parish, or would like to make a financial contribution toward the purchase of a truck, please contact Veronica at the Parish Office at 265-5868.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is sending out 72 disciples in pairs to go to every town he intended to visit. This Gospel passage provides several points for us to reflect upon. First, it challenges us to reflect upon the baggage we carry with us throughout life – material possessions as well as emotional guilt and grudges that weigh us down and prevent us from sharing the peace of Christ with others or even experiencing it ourselves. The point is not that possessions are bad in and of themselves. We simply need to be careful not to let our possessions possess us. How can we let go of those things or feelings that hold us back from loving God as completely as we should?
We will be offering training for adult parishioners who currently serve, and for those who wish to serve as Ushers, Greeters, Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers. The trainings will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2019 and Monday August 5, 2019. We are offering morning and evening classes on different days to ensure that all ministers can attend one or the other.