Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Discernment Sessions for All Parishioners
In light of the recent news from the Bishop, which forbids the celebration of the Extraordinary Form at St. Paul’s, 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.
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.

The bishop’s decision is quite simple but the impact on our regular “parish rhythm” may not be as cut and dry. Do we simply stop the 9:30 Sunday and 5:30 Friday Masses? How does that effect people who want to continue participating at St. Paul’s?  Do we need to reexamine our Mass schedule? Are there new opportunities this may provide for other events or ministry? While the celebration of the Eucharist is always the source and summit of our lives, parish life is not “just a Mass schedule.” Even simple changes can have complicated effects. Change and complications are not always bad, hence we must pray and discern the way forward in faith.

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.

Please make an effort to participate at one of the following sessions. 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 and last 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 @ 1:00 pm - note this time change!

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

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr