Grace is simply the Love of God overflowing into the world. It is Jesus Who Is This Love.

“You must pay for everything in this world one way and another. There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You cannot earn that or deserve it.”

So wrote Charles Portis in his book, True Grit, twice made into very famous movies. This also sums up our readings for this Fourth Sunday in Lent, which is traditionally called Laetare Sunday and Rose is the color.

Laetare means Rejoice. Why do we rejoice?

We rejoice because we know we have been saved by God in Jesus Christ through faith for doing God’s will by our good works.

“But by sending his Son to die on the cross but that he loves us with a divine love. That he loves us with a sacrificial love. That he loves us with a love so great that he's willing to mount the wood of the cross, to be lifted up on the wood of the cross, to taste the suffering and the shame of this horrific death so that we might know that he loves us, that he loves us, and that he wants us to love him in return.

So that would move our hearts to not just thank him for being forgiven, but to love him in return. And that's really what I think the Church is doing on this Fourth Sunday of Lent. It's trying to prepare us for the mystery of Christ’s passion, so that we might not only know that God loves us, but so that we might be moved to love him in return” (Dr. Brant Pitre).

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Parish Engagement Study

This is an exciting time as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, reflect on our history, and plan for our future as a Catholic community. At this time, I would like to give every single person an opportunity to provide me with their thoughts and de-sires for our parish.

I want us to collectively assess where we stand as a Catholic community of faith. Your feedback will bring a deeper understanding on how best to form our faith at both a personal and parish level.

I have commissioned what is known as a Parish Engagement Study that will gather opinions from every family and individual about hopes and expectations for faith on a community and personal level. The results of the study will be revealed to the parish upon its completion.

Cosgriff Company, a Catholic organization doing this work exclusively for Catholic parishes and schools for over 63 years, will conduct our study. All of your responses go directly to the company and will remain completely confidential. This information will also allow us to plan for the future of the parish.

About fifty (50) personal interviews will be conducted involving a cross-section of people. Since it is not possible to interview everyone, the same questions will be compiled into a survey that will be sent to every parish household.

The survey will arrive by regular mail this coming week. You have the option to complete the mail survey and return it in a postage paid envelope or visit our website. I genuinely ask for your candid and honest responses. They will provide valuable insight critical to our long term needs and desires. Look for the survey in your mailbox.

Fr. Kilian, Fr. Joseph, Deacons and our great Parish Staff, Disciples and Volunteers

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