Dear Parishioners,

Here are a few things I’d like to update you on. You may have heard or read in the latest edition of the Northern Cross that it will be suspended. The Northern Cross is our diocesan newspaper. Bishop Daniel and his team are discerning how best to keep in touch with the people of the diocese. And so, for now the Northern Cross is being suspended. That means it could come back, or it may be replaced by some other means of communication. For now, to stop producing it gives them an opportunity to focus on brainstorming and evaluating new ideas.

There has also been a restructuring of the diocesan pastoral center underway. Bishop Daniel is trying to align his staff for the mission which he has been discussing. As such there are three positions which are being eliminated. The directors of communications, of marriage and family, and social apostolate are all ended as of Nov. 1st. This is again an effort to reorganize for mission. Bishop Daniel has discussed having some staff out in the mission fields, and other elements of his plan, and this restructuring of positions is part of that. I appreciate the work that those directors have done, and I also give credit to our bishop for having the courage to make changes that are not easy. Change is always difficult especially when it pertains to people’s jobs, but that is often necessary when there is a reimagining occurring.

I wanted to give one point of clarification regarding The Ministries Appeal. The normal practice of the diocesan office was to do a seminarian appeal each fall. But this year, the seminarian appeal is part of The Ministries Appeal. So, if you have given to the seminarian appeal in the past, you might consider giving that money to The Ministries Appeal. We have made our goal at OLF so any extra given will bring some money back to our parish. At St. Joseph we still have a ways to go. I’d invite you to give to The Ministries Appeal if you haven’t yet done so. Thank you to all who have given already. I am grateful that we are working together to support Bishop Daniel’s work and his efforts to provide the ministry’s to our mission fields. Bishop Daniel has been very present in our community and I am grateful for his willingness to come and spend time with us. He’s come here for our gala fundraiser and quite a number of related events that were auction items. He has been here recently for the White Mass, and has been here for parish retreats and missions. He has been very generous with us, and I hope we can be generous in return.

I want to thank our veterans for their service to our nation. This past Monday was Veterans Day. It’s a day we can be thankful for all who have served, and all who are currently serving in our military. No matter why someone decides to serve our nation in this way, we know they make sacrifices for the greater good. Many who have served in wartime or in action are exposed to some very horrific things. We must be grateful for their service and the sacrifices they have made on our behalf. To our veterans and service men and women, thank you for your service.

In Christ,

Fr. Eli