Feb 23 & 24, 2013 - Holy Family Parish

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Dear Parishioners of Holy Family,
From Your Pastor
The news of Pope Benedict’s resignation later this month still echoes throughout the Church.
His Holiness has served the People of God as our Chief Shepherd admirably since ascending to the
papacy after the death of Blessed John Paul II. Let us offer prayers of gratitude to God for the gift of
his papacy. At this time, it is also fitting to begin praying for the College of Cardinals as they prepare
to gather to elect the next successor to St. Peter. It is only pure conjecture who will emerge
from that conclave as the next pope. Many names, and many ideas are being floated about. I think
it is safe to say that much prayer and discernment will be needed. The Church finds herself at a
crossroads, like it has at many points throughout her long history. In my own reflection, I would find
it intriguing if the next pope was from Africa or South America or where the church is growing. It
would definitely put a different face on the church for the world to see. And yes, who wouldn’t like
to see a younger, more vibrant man emerge as the Visible Head of the Church Those of us who
were around remember the vibrancy and energy that Pope John Paul II brought to the worldwide
Church in the early years of his papacy. So, let us pray that as always God’s will be done.
We have a new addition to the parish staff, a part-time Information Technology Network Administrator
named Craig Kaufman. Most of you will probably never meet this young man as most of
his work will be after hours during the week. Like everywhere else, our parish is increasingly dependent
on technology to get our work done, to store information, and to do basic tasks. The
school, too, has increasing demands for a solid IT infrastructure. Craig was hired to help us make
sure our network is up to date and functioning. It is a very cost-effective solution to some of the issues
we are facing with aging computers and servers. This hire is by no means a luxury, it is a necessity
to control costs and to make sure we are making prudent decisions regarding our IT needs.
Craig has a full-time job in this area and has vast experience already working in parishes with
schools. He seemed to be a natural fit for what we needed. In the short time he has been here, he
has helped us considerably understand our network and is already helping us to make some decisions
and get things organized.
This weekend, per diocesan directives, we are doing the second round of in-pew solicitation
for the CMAA. I want to thank all of you who responded so generously to last weekend’s appeal.
Your generous gift will help so many people both within the parish, around the diocese, both in the
church and outside of it. This is the first time that the diocese has done it for a second weekend.
This is to make sure everyone gets an opportunity to respond and to reduce the costs of future
mailings. Please be patient and understanding as we go through this in-pew process a second time.
The transfiguration of Jesus read in the gospel at the masses this weekend is an event that
was meant to provide encouragement to the disciples as they grappled with who this Jesus was. He
had already told them of His upcoming death, but now they seem resplendent in glory. One can only
imagine what the event looked like. The Transfiguration teaches us that the passion of the Cross
leads to the glory of the Resurrection. It is meant to encourage us during this Lenten season why
we fast, pray and do acts of self-denial. This temporary “sufferings” are nothing in comparison to
the glory that awaits us in our resurrection. This event reminds us who Christ is and why we follow
him: he truly is the Son of God. As we leave the mountain, let us take heed of the Father’s words,
“This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” Let us listen to Christ attentively during this holy season. For
His words lead us to everlasting life.
God bless,
Fr. Dennis Paul,
Pastor