"OPEN WIDE YOUR HEART" Ash Wednesday is this week, and God gives us another Lenten season to grow in faith, discipleship, and service as we prepare spiritually for Easter 2021. Even though it is still winter, Lent means that spring is not far away, as the very word “Lent” comes from an old English word for spring. So, this is a time for another new beginning, with trust in God’s ability to provide what we truly need. We continue to make adaptations to our rituals and practices in this time of the pandemic, including limited capacity in church, the wearing masks, and sanitizing in church after each use.
The Mass of the Resurrection celebrating the life of Jean Ann Hoffman Waybright on Monday, January 18, 2021 was an opportunity for her family and friends to give thanks for her full and generous witness to living Gospel values. Her life in Christ began with her baptism at St. Mary, where she also was welcomed into full communion with the church through the Sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation.
The life of Gerald Patrick Gallagher, a man with diverse talents and interests, was remembered when family and friends gathered for a Memorial Mass on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. His wife, Joyce, chose to place his photo near a wreath, as a symbol of immortality; that, like the wreath, which has no beginning and no end, so too is our life with God.
Catherine (Kit) Susan Maxwell began her life in Christ through baptism as an infant in St. Mary Church. She completed her initiation through the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation at St. Mary and later married her beloved husband, George Maxwell at St. Mary on August 18, 1956.