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FROM FR. OAKLAND

A little over a year ago I headed to Hobby Lobby one evening. I had gotten some glass pumpkins and fake leaves for some Fall decorations for the rectory, but the mantles needed something – vases with bouquets with some fall colors.

I would love to see the security camera footage of me that evening. Up and down the three aisles of fake flowers, with multiple side trips to the two rows in a nearby section, and occasional stops at end caps. Back and forth I went, up and down and back again. While I didn’t look at a clock, I had to have been there for a good 90 minutes trying to make up my mind of flower and color choices. And at that point I just had raw materials – I still had to put the four bouquets together!



Flower ministry is not a ministry that I am called to. It doesn’t help that I get fake flowers precisely because I am allergic to the real ones which are all we use at church. I have been known to rearrange pots, or have ideas on general arrangements, but I am not the one to put the bouquets together in the first place. Now, after almost two and a half hours, I think my arrangements came out pretty okay, but it’s not my calling or gift.

Partners in the Gospel Listening Sessions

First Session: Tuesday, October 27 | 7PM | Fr. McGirl Hall, SJ

We are now starting Phase 3 of our Partners in the Gospel journey. During this time, we will be asking "Who does God want us to become?" This is our opportunity to envision what our new one parish could look like. This is more than just some tweaks or adjustments, or looking at the opportunities that were identified in Phase 2, but to really envision what the parish could look like in ten years, for example, striving towards an ideal and our bigger purpose. We will also be brainstorming some possible key initiatives necessary as a part of this. The PFAC will take this information to write a parish Vision Statement and identify 4-6 key initiatives. Please see the Listening Session schedule and invite those you know to participate.