Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Jerome,
May the Peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!
The second grouping of our Confirmation class will receive the Sacrament next Friday. Please remember them in your prayers. The Rite of Confirmation will be celebrated during our regular Friday, September 3rd, weekday Mass in the main church, along with our usual devotions and other communal prayers.
As we are now in the process of parish reconfiguration and building a new reality according to the proposal of the Renew My Church program, our Parish and Finance Councils will be reconfigured also. I mentioned this in one of my previous bulletin letters this past month. Our goal is to discern again our parish mission according to the signs of the times and the realities that we are facing today. The reception of some parishioners from Saint Ignatius church plays a very important part in the life of our parish. As our quest for the future members of the parish councils begins, Saint Jerome Parish searches for a group of leaders. We need council members who are visionaries and individuals who are fully immersed in the life of the parish. Parish affiliation is a very important quality of a council member. However, parish affiliation for its own sake is meaningless if one is without conscientiousness, concern, and care for the mission of Jesus Christ at Saint Jerome Parish. So, if you happen to know anyone who has the energy, vision, dreams, and love for the parish, then I ask you to encourage that person to consider serving on the Parish Council or the Finance Council for a commitment of four years. Representation of our diversity is another consideration that we would take seriously. The role of each member should not be taken as a representation of a personal agenda; but rather, as a presence that ratifies our concern and resolutions for the spiritual progress and development of our parish ministries.
Furthermore, our Religious Education classes will resume in person in the middle of September. You have heard the registration announcements. As the Religious Education orientation is scheduled for next Saturday morning, it is strongly recommended that the parents of our students be present so that they all may be informed about the expectations of the program. Our parish has the responsibility to assist our families spiritually and to encourage them to participate in the life of the Church before and after the celebration of the sacraments. Our catechists have spent a lot of time in preparing themselves during the last eight weeks to accommodate our students well. The success of our Religious Education Program requires the participation of our parents as well as their firm conviction that the sacramental celebration is not the end of one’s faith formation. Rather, it is a call to awareness for those who recently received the sacraments to always celebrate the life of God in them.
I ask you to continue praying for me and for the ministry that I have committed myself to as your pastor. May God, through His abundant mercy be our constant inspiration for doing whatever we are doing today.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary,
