We are pleased to announce that after careful consultation with church sound and video experts, our own worship and music community, and many of you in an ongoing way – we will have new and bigger screens, sharper and clearer images projected on those screens by more powerful projectors. We will also have additional updated equipment that will take our unique worship here at Holy Family to a new and improved level. (Please see page 8 of this bulletin for more details.) All of these updates support one of the most important aspects of our mission statement, namely, “leading all to new life through vibrant worship…”
You will notice that the screens are wider and are at slightly different angles enabling more of you to see them more clearly, thus allowing them to lead you in more reverent prayer. More of you will be able to not only see the screens more clearly, but your line of sight will also help you to focus on both the altar and the ambo that enhance your prayerful attention to 3 of the 4 ways that the Second Vatican Council tells us that Christ is present in the Eucharist, namely in the word proclaimed and the elements of the bread and wine and the people gathered.
These improvements are not covered in our recent OurFamilies OurFaith OurFuture Campaign. The final phase of that campaign is being realized in our new front office enhancements that will help us to move another important aspect of our mission forward, namely to welcome all.
Please consider that the new video and sound improvements are essential to moving our community forward and ensuring our unique, vibrant and prayerful worship experience and are a major financial commitment. Please consider this in your weekly giving, and thank you to those of you who regularly increase your financial stewardship with increased operating costs in mind. Our increased communal generosity enables us to maintain and build our portion of God’s kingdom. Thank you.
We have welcomed several new staff members recently and are wishing others well as they move on to new endeavors. Melanie Tomal joins us as an Assistant Director of Teen Faith. Melanie graduated from Ohio State University in May and is assuming this position here at Holy Family that is a 1-year internship for a recent college graduate. Melanie replaces her sister, Liz, who just moved to California with her husband who is in the military.
Len Locascio is replacing Matt Hower as our Controller. Len brings a wealth of accounting experience with small, medium and large companies and will continue to bring a unified, team approach to our financial picture. He replaces Matt who will spend more time with his family and several boards that he sits on. We thank Matt for bringing a consistency and harmony to our books.
Maureen DeRosa joins us as Director of Operations on a part-time basis and will work in tandem with Ro Geisler who will remain as our Parish Manager. Maureen brings a wealth of experience most recently with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Maureem is a parishioner, proclaimer, finance council member and more here at Holy Family, and she will guide our vast operation efforts.
Each week in this space I remark about the beauty and power of the week’s scripture readings. I hope you don’t tire of me exalting each passage because of the continual inspiration and beauty that they bring us. I truly marvel at the beauty and power of scripture. For example, in our first reading this weekend from Deuteronomy Moses tells the people that the law is closer than they think. Remember for the Jewish people the Law is both the broad experience of the Covenant that God formed with us and the specifics of the rules outlined primarily in the books of Deuteronomy and Numbers.
This statement, as most of our selected first readings during the celebration of the Eucharist do, sets up the story of the Good Samaritan that we hear from Luke.
The Samaritan, who is at best disliked by the audience to which Jesus is telling the story, becomes the hero because of the way he goes out of his way to minister to the man who is left for dead after being beaten along the road to Jericho. In telling the story Jesus is encouraging us to expand the law, so to speak, of our compassion and sensitivity to others. The priest and Levites who pass the beaten man were too gripped in the laws of impurity. Thinking he was dead, they were not permitted to touch him because the law said they would be defiled.
Jesus gives us all an inspirational example of a man who responds to someone in dire need with the goodness of his heart and goes several extra miles by tending to his wounds, carrying him, putting him up and offering additional money for any other expenses. All of this is in response to a simple question by someone who wants to trip up Jesus.
Let’s ask our Lord the same question, “and who is my neighbor…?” and look for opportunities to extend such Mercy to them.