Some Christmas Reminders

Friends

    As this is the last bulletin printed before Christmas, please let me be among the first to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I am always keenly aware that it’s been a while for some of you since you came to church. Our churches tend to be a little fuller than they are at other times of the year, and certainly fuller than during other non-Sunday based Holy Days of Obligation. I know some of that is because all the people who only occasionally come to church will come to church on Christmas, However, I also know that there are some people here who are either coming back to church after a significant absence or possibly giving church a first try. Please know, from the bottom of my heart, how grateful the people of St. Patrick’s Church are to have you here. If you get lost, don’t worry! We all do. Yes, even I get lost in Mass sometimes. If you feel like people are judging you because they’re scowling at you, they may be lost and trying to see if you can find the right page. Or they may be an old crank who either has forgotten or has never experienced what it’s like to be new to a parish. Either way, don’t confuse one or two angry looks with the gratitude that the vast majority of people have that you are here. And, if your child cries or talks or has a meltdown in the middle of church, please know that’s music to my ears. My smile or look of sympathy is not at all ironic. I get it. They’re learning how to behave and we know there are struggles with that. One of my greatest hopes is, at some point in the future, to be able to tell the story of how the Archbishop would walk into the aisle of church as a child while I was preaching and start to cry as if to say, “You have no idea what you’re talking about!” 

    With that being said, please know that we’ve been having some issues with people abusing our parking lot rules. Our parking lots are reserved for people who are doing things at St. Patrick’s Church. Recently, we’ve had some people trying to leave their cars in our lot for several days without notifying office staff and we've had to tow those vehicles. Most of the time the cars are not in good shape and seem to be waiting to be repaired. While I certainly don’t want to add to people’s financial burdens, we cannot reasonably be expected to assume the liability of having cars in disrepair parked on our lot leaking oil, antifreeze, or other fluids in an area of town where it may be vandalized or broken into while sitting overnight. So, if your car does break down or does not start, please notify the staff and do whatever you can to get the car moved to a safe location as fast as possible. We’re simply trying to make sure there’s room for everyone when you come to church as well as trying to make sure we’re being good stewards of the inheritance our ancestors provided for us in this great parish.