Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Jerome,
Pax Christi semper vobiscum!
Long live Saint Joseph whose intercession is great before the throne of God!
Many thanks to our parishioners who joined us in our solemn celebration and fellowship. I am certain that Saint Joseph will continue to assist us in our spiritual journey. As I have shared with you in the past, we have received a lot of favors from him. Our parish finances are placed under his protection. Trust in Divine Providence is what he has taught us throughout the years. He himself is someone who knew how to rely completely on God’s mercy and generosity. Silent as he is, the fruits of his labor speak of his faith and total abandonment to the Will of God. Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, pray for us.
The Missionary Sisters of Saint John will begin to promote the Summer Camp Program for the children of the parish. This will be an opportunity for our children to mingle with each other within the context of a Catholic atmosphere. The promotional flyers will give you some information about the program. Since we only have two sisters at present, we can only accommodate a limited number of children. I encourage parents to register your children (ages 7 – 12) as soon as possible to make sure that they will have an opportunity to experience the excitement that the summer camp would bring them.
The renovation of the convent building continues. We are still making room for the sisters to have a space of their own while they minister to the people of our parish. We are currently looking for benefactors or families who are willing to assist the parish in defraying the cost of the needed renovations. The first phase of the project includes the first-floor dormitories, office space, kitchen, receiving rooms, meeting rooms, bathrooms, laundry, and the chapel on the second floor. The renovation requires painting, removal of rugs along the hallway, replacement of the corroded plumbing pipes, electrical re-wiring and plastering of broken walls and ceilings. There is quite a lot of work that needs to be done before the sisters can move to the convent building. Most of the job is restoration or replacement of broken dry wall and peeled off paint on the ceilings.
I have been praying to Saint Joseph to assist us in this project. Interesting enough, his response comes through our parish families. There are several ways to assist the parish in this project. One is through monetary donations. Another is by donating your time and labor in plastering and painting each room. Also, two or three families may unite to share their monetary resources to defray the cost of restoration. Please call my attention if you are willing to participate in this project. Our target date of completion of the convent restoration will be the first week of June 2022.
We began our Rite of Scrutiny this weekend for those in the RCIA program who will receive the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Vigil. Please pray for them, their parents and their godparents. The Rite of Christian Initiation is a serious matter. We are claiming our candidates of the Catechumenate in the Name of Jesus Christ. We have the responsibility as a parish to show them good example of the Christian life. We need to know who they are as well as their families and vice-versa. Our St. Jerome gatherings should be an opportunity for them to have a good relationship with the members of our parish. Often these Rites are simply being perceived as traditional practices of religious expression. By no means. The Rite of Scrutiny is a reminder to all of us of our journey to a much deeper encounter with Jesus Christ. Again, our parish has a spiritual responsibility to our Catechumens so that we can usher them to encounter God in the ordinariness of their lives each day.
Finally, our parish will conduct a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Lord’s Passion in Saint John, Indiana, on April 2nd. Details are in this bulletin. This would be a good opportunity for us to be together in prayer outside the parish. A registration is important to reserve a seat on the bus. Should you be interested in joining the parish on this pilgrimage, please be sure to make your reservation as early as possible so that we can accommodate everyone efficiently.
My gratitude to all of you for making an effort to come to Mass this weekend.
God bless.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary,
