Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Growing in our Mission
In light of the recent news from the Bishop, which forbids the celebration of the Extraordinary Form here at St. Paul, following the final 5:30 pm Mass October 27^th and 9:30 am Mass on Sunday, October 29^th, this is a time for our parish to discern God’s way forward for us.  Note we do not decide “our” way or blindly fall forward by guessing. We seek to discern God’s will for our parish community.
Allow me to reemphasize some points made over three years ago when we began celebrating the usus antiquor at 9:30 on Sundays.  From the beginning, adding this Mass was an integrative endeavor seeing everyone, regardless of which Form one attended, as Catholics seeking to grow in holiness.  At the time there was a need for this Form of the Mass in our area. The focus always is fulfilling our parish mission - Forming Disciples of Christ in Community and Proclaiming the Gospel.  This mission necessarily includes being open to one another’s experiences, gifts, hopes, and even sufferings. For as St. Paul reminds us when one part of the Body of Christ rejoices, all should rejoice; when one part suffers, all suffer.

Grace in the Midst of Change
Over the past three years, there has been a positive shift in the parish and according to many a renewed vibrancy.  Whether looking for the EF Mass specifically, or some having only just discovered it, many people have made a home here at St. Paul Parish. This includes guide a few younger families.  The past three years I have seen a welcome uptick of weddings and baptisms.  New folks have come offering their time, talent, and treasure for the mission of the parish.  It has produced a strong core of Mass servers, provided more volunteer help for parish projects, and, combined with the welcoming our parish has offered, it has helped deepen our parish’s communal bonds.  This was made clear to me when we had our Parish Feastday 2.0 back at the end of June.  It was a huge success with the PAC full of people from every Mass - young, old, EF, OF, it didn’t matter.  It was a time of thanksgiving and joy. 

Moving forward, the bishop’s decision will have significant effect on our parish. Change is often difficult especially those changes we have no control over.  Even so, the change does not define us nor does it automatically determine our response. If one door closes, the Lord opens another.  Hence, we seek the Lord’s guidance in prayerful discernment. 

Discernment Meetings
I would like to offer Discernment sessions on this topic similar to the Mystagogy sessions we had for this year of the Eucharist.  At these sessions will be time for questions and clarifications. Included will be prayer, communal discernment, and opportunity to share in written form thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for moving forward.  These sessions are open to ALL parishioners.  Again, this change effects everyone to some degree.

Between now and then I suggest everyone pray the St. Paul Prayer and then seek the Lord’s guidance on these questions:

How am I living out our parish mission of Forming Disciples of Christ in Community and Proclaiming the Gospel?

What are my priorities in my faith life? Do they need to change? How is the Lord calling me (and my family) to grow?

Without the 9:30 Mass, what will our parish Sunday mornings look like?

How does this change open up other opportunities to help our mission?

Please pick a session that fits your schedule. Each session will be in the PAC for about an hour.
Discernment Session times:
Monday September 18 @ 6:00 pm
Tuesday September 19 @ 6:00 pm
Friday September 22 @ 7:00 pm
Saturday September 23 @ 1pm

In the meantime, please feel free to contact me with your prayerfully discerned thoughts and suggestions.

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr