Welcome New Personnel

07-17-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

Some of you know quite well that we have had turnover in our Office Staff in recent weeks. Jessica Wolfe, after some good years of service, resigned from her position as Administrative Assistant due to her recent marriage to Randy Dermody and new directions in their life together. We continue to pray for them and all married couples as well as thanking Jessica for her good service to our parishes.

Jessica's departure meant searching for, interviewing, and hiring a new Office Administrator. Amber Newton is our new hire and we welcome her aboard. She lives in Winona with her two high-school age children and is quickly acclimating herself to the significant and important role in our parish and school operations. We continue to pray for Amber as she comes to us with a willingness to help the mission of the Church and assist each of us in deepening our commitment to Jesus and His Church.

Mission Appeal

You are all aware that each parish in the Diocese of La Crosse hosts at least one mission appeal each calendar year. We welcome Father Prince Raja this weekend who is making appeal for his home diocese of Madurai in India. Each bulletin has an envelope attached; insert your contribution into the envelope and drop the envelope into the collection basket over the next weekend or two. Our Office Staff will then gather the offerings and direct them to the appropriate organizations sothey benefit the Archdiocese of Madurai most directly. On behalf of the Catholics in India, we thank you in advance.

Maintain Your Joy in the Lord

Many could argue that our world changes quickly, and not always in a healthy way. There seems to be, among some people, a growing weight of the worries, needs and concerns about current events. I really believe that, due to our call and response to live as Catholics, we ought to maintain our joy in the Lord. Easier said than done, I know. However, maintaining joy in the Lord must be done. We continue to discipline ourselves to reduce importance on worldly things and place our trust in Jesus. That may be a theological and philosophical thought, here are some practical suggestions.

Consider that people come first in the Catholic mindset. So, take some extra time connecting or reconnecting to a loved one who is homebound, marginalized or in a health care facility. Perhaps consider how you might also spend time with a young person in your life. Do what, you ask? Spend time with them. People, no matter the age, like to be cared for. And we, as Catholics, need to care for them. Using time to build human relationships can go a long way in maintaining joy in the Lord.

Consider our home, as Pope Francis reminds us during the Year of Mercy. That home may be our property, but also the environment and our planet. Take some time outdoors in the balance of summer tending to that yard or house project you've been putting off. Maybe stroll through a public area and pick up the trash that less considerate people left behind. Doing good things for our world can help us think beyond ourselves and rediscover a joy in the Lord through a sense of accomplishment.

Finding time for these tasks might be a puzzle for some. At the same time, if we reduced our time cluttering our minds through news intake (TV, internet, radio, print), we might just find those extra minutes or hours to accomplish our newfound goals. The diet of news can really fill our minds with worldly things which continue to distract us from emptying our minds for the joy of the Lord. Our visits, our work and our prayer all aid us in living out our baptismal call. Finding joy in life, joy in our activities which all lead to maintaining our joy in the Lord.