Dear Parishioners and Friends,
I am pleased to have Allison Holst-Grubbe, our Director of Community Engagement, offer some reflections on volunteering as we host our biennial Ministry Fair this weekend. If you are looking for an opportunity to share your time or talent with others, please consider one of our many outreach ministries which are on display in the Franciscan Center after Mass today.
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor
Dear friends,
As the leaves change color and fall to the ground, my mind keeps rehearsing the events of this Sunday following the 10am Mass. Like many Sundays in autumn, this particular morning will be a vibrantly busy one in the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry. The classrooms on the bottom floor will be filled with young parishioners and catechists engaged in religious education. Volunteers will stand in the lobby on the main floor, collecting men’s socks and undergarments to be dispersed to guests of our Sandwich Ministry. That “lobby” is also the Clare Gallery, where an exhibition by a Connecticut artist reflecting the effects of climate change will remain on its final day of display. Past the gallery and clothing drive, St. Patrick-St. Anthony’s biennial Ministry Fair will fill our large gathering space. The fair will feature displays and representatives from many of our more than 50 ministries.
Along the large window overlooking Allyn Street (and its trees that are particularly beautiful in autumn), our Community Sunday team will serve coffee and donuts. In the Center’s large kitchen, volunteers will likely be making sandwiches for that afternoon’s sandwich service, as others stop in to donate bread for sandwiches or food for Tuesday’s warm meals program. This buzz of activity and fellowship will temporarily decrescendo as the St. Patrick-St. Anthony Ladies Guild announce this year’s recipients of their scholarships for Catholic school students. Some of our parishioners will miss this particular moment, because they’ll be serving breakfast to our neighbors in need at the nearby House of Bread.
That’s just after one Mass. And I’m sure, as I write this, that I’m forgetting something.
None of these activities – nor those of our dynamic liturgies – would be possible without the time and care of our hundreds of volunteers. Some serve throughout each week or month in multiple ministries, appearing at 285 Church Street nearly as often as the staff. Others offer whatever time they can, now and then – not unlike the widow in Luke 21 who gave the only money she had. All of them, collectively, keep our parish and ministries running at their full energetic speed. These hundreds of individuals are like the servants who, as we hear in this Sunday’s Gospel, are the greatest among us.
Whether or not you currently volunteer at SPSA and the Franciscan Center, I warmly encourage you to attend this year’s “Called To Serve” Ministry Fair after any Mass this weekend. The fair is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the wide variety of ministries within our faith community, and consider which ones may provide you an opportunity to give of your time and talents. Whether you’re looking to serve in our liturgies, community outreach programs, social events, various committees, or any of our other ministries: there is a place for everyone to contribute their unique gifts. This event is also an opportunity to learn about min-istries that may serve you – including faith formation, sacramental preparation, pastoral care ministries, or social groups.
Please join us for this weekend of fellowship and opportunities to grow in faith together. I look forward to seeing you there!
In peace,
Allison
