Jan 12, 2023

Greetings,

This past Monday was the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and with that came the end of the Christmas season. Christmas wreaths were taken down, parishioners adopted poinsettias and the manger scenes went back into storage.

This also meant that the seminarians departed from the St. Sebastian rectory and their cars headed north on 271 to take them back to our seminaries. It was certainly nice to have the company in the house and extra hands on deck for liturgies and other projects. Please keep them in your prayers.

There are some others for whom I would ask you to pray. A couple of men and women in our parish are seeking entrance into discernment programs for Church vocations, I have been informed by them. I will not release their names until they are firmly in a discernment program but that shouldn’t prevent prayers for them in the meantime. It is quite exciting. And not to be forgotten is Mr. Tim Casey of our parish who is currently discerning the Capuchins. Thank you to these young men and women who are exploring the possibility of a Church vocation. You are truly an inspiration.

IN OTHER NEWS:

OFFICES CLOSED: The parish offices will be closed this coming Monday, January 16, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

THEOLOGY ON THE ROCKS: I will be the speaker at the next TOR the following Monday, January 23. Please double check the bulletin or the Facebook page for the new location.

CHURCH ROOF LEAK: As you know, we have been chasing down a leak at the rear of the church from the lower roof. We had hoped to have solved the problem just before the snow flew last but with the melting came the news that we had missed the illusive hole. The next step is for the roofers to bring hoses and dye onto the roof to try to determine exactly from where the water is sneaking in!

GIDDYUP! The horses are at the gates! Looking forward to seeing everybody at our annual Night at the Races! Your participation in this night keeps our sports fees the lowest in the area and our equipment up to date. Thank you to everybody involved!

ANGELS: Thank you to everybody who has participated so far in the Angel Scholarship Program. Due to your thoughtfulness, just north of $48,000 came to our school because you designated your state tax dollars to go to St. Sebastian Parish School. That is simply fantastic. And thank you for donating extra at Christmas. You always come through for your parish and we enter into the New Year on positive footing and continuing our mission despite the rockiness of the economy.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck