MARCH 19, 2023
Dear friends,
On Thursday, March 30, at 7:00 pm at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Hall we will be having a parish meeting about Ascension Church. We are meeting there because of its technological capabilities. This meeting is for all of our parishioners who would like to come. I invite you to join us on that evening.
We have had some large sad events here at St. Paul VI Parish these past weeks. We celebrated the funerals of Father Frank Carter, Father John Lavorgna and Deacon John O’Donovan. The sadness of these events were palpable, none of the deaths were expected which made our mourning all the more difficult. On a personal note, I was so touched by the staff and volunteers of our parish and their good work during these difficult times.
Death is never easy; we are never prepared for death. This time of Lent is a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on death and life. The Easter mystery in and of itself is about Christ’s victory over death. Our prayers, fasting, and works of charity are a graced way for us to learn how to embrace God’s call to life eternal.
However, we do not stop mourning the loss of our friends, our spouses, our family. Professionals tell us that the healing of grief comes with time, but grief is always there – not as intense, not as raw – but always there. Some people have found bereavement groups helpful, others have found a grief counselor to be invaluable, others have found that acceptance comes with much prayer and time. However, we embrace loss, this Lent is a good time to pray for ourselves and for those who mourn.
Thank you for all you do for our parish.
