The primary information I want to bring to your attention is our Mission this week. It has been several years since we have had a Mission and I pray that many of you will be able to take advantage of this opportunity to enter more deeply into the spirit of Lent. Special details are elsewhere in the bulletin. We welcome Fr. Dan Dorsey to St. Stephen and look forward to his invitation and challenge in the days ahead.
We had a wonderful Rite of Election with Bishop Medley and over 100 others who will join the Church at Easter last Sunday afternoon. In the course of his homily, the bishop suggested that a parish which does not have several people in RCIA needs to take a good look at itself. Here at the Cathedral we do have a couple of folks in various stages of the process but very few, especially few adults. We need to ask ourselves why more people are not attracted to our faith and specifically to this faith community. Are we not living our faith and fulfilling our mission in a way that is attractive to others? When was the last time you invited a friend, neighbor or relative to consider joining the Church? As individuals and as a parish we need to be asking these questions.
On Thursday evening our Cathedral Restoration and Renovation Steering Committee will meet with Bishop Medley to bring him up to date on our plans and progress thus far. Obviously, the Bishop is a key figure in this project and we are eager to share our ideas and to get his input and support. It is the Committee’s hope that after this meeting we can get our project on the “fast track” and get to work.
Pre-registration for Owensboro Catholic Schools will begin on March 15th. This year you will be required to have the voucher from the parish in time for pre-registration. I remind you that the criteria for receiving a voucher are: membership in the parish, regular participation in Sunday Mass here at St. Stephen, the practice of stewardship (financially and involvement in some form of ministry or parish activity). In other words, you are expected to be an active, participating member of this parish. Certainly, most of our Catholic school families (in addition to so many others) are doing this and we are a better parish because of you.
Be sure and check the monthly calendar and note the dates for our parish communal Lenten service as well as our annual Fish Fry.
Love, Fr. John
