Saint Peter's Point- The Catholic Blog of Saint Peter Parish, Stevens Point Wisconsin

A warm welcome to all our guests who have joined us for our annual parish picnic For Pete’s Sake! We very much appreciate your presence with us this weekend – for prayer and for fun! Please know you are always welcome at Saint Peter!

A happy and blessed Father’s Day to all the men of our parish, especially those who have been called by Almighty God to the vocation of husband and father. “God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. Bless these men, that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen” (Book of Blessings, 1733).

Last week all the priests of our Diocese gathered in La Crosse with Bishop Listecki for our annual Priest Unity Days. It is a delightful time to get caught up with brother priests whom I do not get a chance to see except on such occasions. Nearly everyone asks me how I am getting along in Stevens Point. I tell them that they would have to ask the parishioners, but I sure am grateful that our Polish Bishop entrusted the Poles (and all others!) of Saint Peter to me as Pastor! Several brothers in the priesthood then just could not resist commenting that the people of Saint Peter must be treating me right judging by my expanding midsection! They really know how to hurt a guy! The follow-up to the original question most times was: “Well, just how long have you been there?” It is hard to believe but June 21 will mark the beginning of my fourth year at Saint Peter. In more serious moments of conversation, brother priests quizzed me about the Sacrament of Penance at Saint Peter. “You hear confessions six days a week?” they would ask. “Yes, including two times on Saturdays!” I noted. “The lines can be long and there are many days that I cannot hear all the confessions before Mass so I go back into the confessional after Mass.” Some acted surprised at such a sign of spiritual vitality. “Well, I had heard that Saint Peter was a dead parish” they would say. “Hardly!” was my comeback. “You do not get confessions like these from a spiritual corpse!” And then I relished in noting other signs of the spiritual vibrancy of Saint Peter. We are in the midst of a mini-baby boom on a pace to double the number of baptisms compared to last year. Our average weekend Mass attendance approaches 45 per cent of our registered parishioners – still a sad figure but better than the national average by more than ten percentage points! I “hooded” three of our young parishioners – Emily Pehoski, Kyle Rosenthal, and Joshua Zdroik – at a recent gathering of the high school Dead Theologians Society (to be “hooded” means that they receive a hooded sweatshirt after having attended three consecutive sessions and then they also take on the responsibility of praying for the Poor Souls in Purgatory each day). As a bi-weekly follow-up to the Men of Christ Conference, I prayed Morning Prayer in church on Tuesday with a dozen men at 6:00 am (that is not a typo!), listened to a presentation on the saints of the day, and then went to breakfast with the guys. Having gotten wound up (!!) I continued noting that we have 24 consecutive hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament each week, our parishioners have developed our own Vacation Bible School program that has generated interest from literally around the globe, our parish fields its own city-league softball team (that is off to a respectable start to the season!), and we are spearheading once again the Theology on Tap summer gatherings for married and single people 21-39 years of age of the area. And these are just a handful of parish activities that have caught my attention in recent weeks. There is so much more! Dead? Hardly!

In case you have not noticed, Saint Peter Parish is in the midst of a mini baby boom! Upon my arrival in Stevens Point, I introduced the practice of praying for the deceased of our parish and for the consolation of the family at all the weekend Masses following the funeral. Because our parish is large and funerals are many, it seems that most weekends we are offering the three Hail Marys and so we can get the impression that all that happens at Saint Peter is burying the dead! Not so! For all of the last calendar year our parish celebrated a total of 25 baptisms. This year – only five full months into 2008 – we have already baptized 20 children with five more scheduled through the end of June! And we have quite of few families who are now pregnant and due before the end of 2008! Indeed, we are on a pace to have the most baptisms the parish has celebrated for quite some time! It is a sign of the spiritual (and physical!) vitality of a parish that those living the Sacrament of Matrimony are joyously welcoming the gift of new life!

As Saint Peter Parish officially says farewell to Father Sakowski this weekend, we also express our gratitude to him for his wise counsel offered in the confessional and in spiritual direction, for his faithful proclamation of the teachings of Christ and His Church, for his fidelity in celebrating the Sacred Liturgy according to the mind of the Church, and for his excellent homilies. Our best wishes and prayers accompany him as he begins advanced studies in Rome this fall. And we prayerfully anticipate the arrival of his successor!

Two times each year all the priests of the Diocese of La Crosse gather to strengthen our fraternity in the priesthood of Jesus Christ, to hear presentations by various speakers, and simply to enjoy some time of relaxation together. The summer gathering in La Crosse – called “Priest Unity Days” – begins at 4:00 pm on Sunday, June 8, and ends at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, June 10. Please pray for Bishop Listecki and the priests of our Diocese!

Our parish picnic “For Pete’s Sake” (June 14-15) is almost upon us! In this last week please do your part to publicize the picnic by inviting family, friends and neighbors. And sell those raffle tickets!

I warmly encourage you to consider having your children (or grandchildren!) take part in our Saint Peter Vacation Bible School to be held here from Monday, July 28, through Friday, August 1. This program for children in grades 1-5 was developed by our own parishioners and runs each day from 9:00 am to Noon. The week concludes with a potluck gathering and skits Friday evening. The theme this year – “Christ Our Hope” – is taken from the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States. If you have questions or wish to register please contact Phil Lawson at the rectory. Early registration ($15.00) is due Friday, June 15.

I have always wanted to visit the Holy Land – to see and pray at the places made holy by Jesus and spoken of in the Bible. While I was a seminarian studying in Rome (1985-1989) I had several opportunities to travel to the Middle East but money was tight and the region was extremely unstable. So, I never went, although the desire has never left me. Earlier this year, Father Robert Schaller – former Pastor of Saint Peter now serving at Saint Elizabeth in Holmen – made his first visit to the Holy Land. He came back so moved and enthused that he called me from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport where he had just landed in order to convince me to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with him in 2009! Well, it worked and Father Schaller and I will be leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land February 8-18, 2009. We will be the spiritual guides celebrating the Holy Mass each day. We will have the opportunity to see and pray at those sights most holy to our faith. The number of pilgrims is strictly limited so that we can all travel together on one bus thereby creating a more intimate atmosphere conducive to a prayerful absorption of all that we will see and experience. Some of the highlights include visits to Caesarea Philippi (now known as Banias) where Jesus declared to Simon, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church”, Cana in Galilee where couples may renew their marriage vows, Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, as well as Jerusalem where we will walk the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Of course, this only scratches the surface of the magnificent and moving sights to be seen and places to offer prayers! The cost of $2799 includes airfare, expert native Christian tour guides, meals, and lodging in first class hotels. For a complete itinerary and more information please consult the brochures available in church or at the rectory.

Thank you to those who took part in the Corpus Christi procession following the 10:00 am Mass last weekend. Special thanks to Patrick Burkhart and our Schola Cantorum adult choir for the beautiful pieces sung during the Mass and for leading the singing during the procession, Darcy Bunn for chanting the sequence Lauda Sion and organizing the music for the procession, the army of altar servers who formed an honor guard for our Eucharistic Lord and assisted with the cross, candles, torches and incense, Darick Bloom who acted as Master of Ceremonies, and our sacristan Mary Stanczyk who always works so hard behind the scenes! After the celebration I was “mugged” by several visiting families who happened to “stumble upon” that Mass with the procession. They were thrilled and moved by the solemnity, beauty, and reverence of the Eucharistic procession and Benediction. May the Lord richly bless us for honoring Him in the Blessed Sacrament!

“The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body (Code of Canon Law, 536, 2) by which the Christian faithful of a parish, together with those who have pastoral authority in the parish, ‘give their help in fostering pastoral activity’ (Code of Canon Law, 536, 1). Its work is to be informed and inspired by the vision of the Church, exemplified in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council” (Bishop John J. Paul, On Consultation in the Parish and Deanery). Thank you to all those parishioners who accepted nominations for our Pastoral Council. Thanks, too, to all of you who voted. Congratulations to James Miller and Jeff Zdroik who were re-elected, as well as John Krupka who was elected. The fourth post to be filled by appointment of the Pastor will be announced shortly. The September meeting of the Council begins the two-year term of these returning and new members. Special thanks to Cynthia Calhoun who completes her term of service.

Congratulations to all our graduates – from various colleges and universities, area high schools, middle schools, and those home-schooled. “Lord our God, send your blessings upon these graduates and fill them with your wisdom and blessings” (Book of Blessings, 541).

We are very happy to welcome back to Saint Peter seminarian Daniel Oudenhoven who has been assigned to us for the summer by Bishop Listecki. Of course, you will recall Dan from his time with us last summer. He is a member of Saint Bronislava Parish in Plover and has just completed his first year at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago.

This Friday, June 6, is the First Friday of the month in honor of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. As always, we have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament following the 8:00 am Mass until Benediction at 5:00 pm. Please take some time during the course of your day to come to church to spend some moments of loving adoration and prayer before our Eucharistic Lord. And as usual the second Mass of the day is at 5:15 pm. “Jesus meek and humble of Heart, make our hearts like unto Thine” (from the Litany of the Sacred Heart).

Next Sunday, June 8, after the 8:00 am and 10:00 am Masses stop by Kolbe Hall to say thank you and farewell to Father Derek Sakowski. As you know, Bishop Listecki has assigned Father Sakowski to do further theological studies in Rome beginning this fall. Through the months of June and July Father Sakowski will be with us on and off until August when he departs for Italy.

Preparations for our parish picnic of June 14 and 15 are in full swing! By the hard work and dedication of every one of our parishioners we can make this another successful event. Do your part to publicize the picnic and sell those raffle tickets!

Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Father Kevin C. Louis

Today’s celebration of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (also known by the Latin Corpus Christi or “the Body of Christ”) is “intended to teach the faithful how to share in the Eucharistic sacrifice and to have it more profoundly influence their life, to revere the presence of Christ the Lord in this Sacrament, and to offer the thanks due for God’s gifts” (Caeremoniale Episcoporum, 385). Besides centering your week in the Mass on the Lord’s Day, making that extra effort to participate in the Mass during the weekdays is one way to live this feast of Corpus Christi throughout the year! Come to weekday Mass! Saint Peter has Mass at 5:15 pm on Tuesdays and at 8:00 am Wednesdays through Saturdays. Another excellent practice is to offer time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament – stop in church to make a visit when you are in the neighborhood (the Saint Faustina Room doors remain unlocked until 3:00 pm) or take part in the Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on First Fridays (8:30 am to 5:00 pm). What is more, why not consider committing yourself to prayer once a week before the Blessed Sacrament during our time of Solemn Exposition following the 8:00 am Mass Wednesdays through Benediction at 7:50 am Thursdays? Please contact Jason and Darcy Bunn (343-9007) if you would like more information about our 24-hour weekly adoration or if would like to commit as a regular adorer or substitute. What graces the Eucharistic Lord desires to bestow on us, our families, our parish, our community, and the world if we but place ourselves in His presence!

The Vatican’s Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass – approved by Servant of God Pope Paul VI in 1973 – encourages Eucharistic processions, especially on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Indeed, that ritual book states that “when the Eucharist is carried through the streets in a solemn procession with singing, the Christian people give public witness of faith and devotion toward the Sacrament . . . The annual procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi . . . has a special importance and meaning for the pastoral life of the parish or city. It is therefore desirable to continue this procession” (101-102). May our public witness of love of the Lord in the Eucharist enkindle in the hearts of those who have allowed the flame of faith to grow weak in their own hearts a newfound desire to encounter the merciful Savior!

This Friday, May 30, is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “Jesus knew and loved us each and all during His life, His agony, and His Passion and gave Himself up for each one of us: ‘The Son of God . . . loved me and gave Himself for me” [Galatians 2:20]. He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, ‘is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that . . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings’ without exception” (478). May this be our prayer throughout this month of June dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: “Father, we rejoice in the gifts of love we have received from the Heart of Jesus your Son. Open our hearts to share His life and continue to bless us with His love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen” (Collect, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus).

Inserted into the bulletin this week is the recently-issued Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of Wisconsin entitled Serving All and Sacrificing None: Ethical Stem Cell Research. Please take a moment to read this important document that aims to clear up many misconceptions about stem cell research itself as well as what types of stem cell research are morally acceptable. Our bishops remind us that as Catholics “we are called to respect and love all human life. But we have a special duty towards the most vulnerable persons in our midst – the embryo and the unborn child, the chronically ill and the poor, the prisoner and the refugee. In so doing, we reveal the essence of our humanity and of our Christian faith.” For more information and to view a very well-done 14 minute video on ethical stem cell research go to www.wisconsincatholic.org.

Preparations for our annual parish picnic of June 14 and 15 are in full swing! By the hard work and dedication of every one of our parishioners we can make this another successful event. Do your part to publicize the picnic and sell those raffle tickets!

Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Father Kevin C. Louis

The Catechism of the Catholic Church helps us see the practical implications of this Sunday’s celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: “The Church is one because of her source: ‘the highest exemplar and source of this mystery is the unity, in the Trinity of Persons, of one God, the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.’ The Church is one because of her founder: for ‘the Word made flesh, the Prince of Peace, reconciled all men to God by the cross . . . restoring the unity of all in one people and one body.’ The Church is one because of her ‘soul’: ‘It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and ruling over the entire Church, who brings about that wonderful communion of the faithful and joins them together so intimately in Christ that He is the principle of the Church’s unity.’ Unity is of the essence of the Church” (813). A few paragraphs later the Catechism continues: “The Lord’s missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity: ‘The Church on earth is by her nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, she has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.’ The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love” (850).

Next Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ or Corpus Christi. As announced elsewhere in the bulletin last week, at the conclusion of next Sunday’s 10:00 am Mass we will have a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. I most warmly encourage you to take part in the procession to honor our Eucharistic Lord. Hymns will be sung and benediction will close the procession. Any altar servers who wish to be part of the Eucharistic honor guard should contact the parish office during regular office hours. Those who received their First Holy Communion this year are also welcome to take special part in the procession.

Our Diocese of La Crosse was honored recently as Pope Benedict XVI appointed a native son, Archbishop Raymond Burke of Saint Louis, to two additional posts in the Vatican. Of course, Burke remains the Archbishop of Saint Louis (as if that was not enough work!) and he still serves as one of the 15 judges of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura – a position to which the Holy Father named the Archbishop in July of 2006. You may recall that the Signatura is the Church’s “Supreme Court” that hears final appeals of decisions by Vatican administrators and offices and ensures that justice is administered correctly in the Church. On May 6, 2008, it was made public that Pope Benedict appointed Archbishop Burke to also serve on the Congregation for the Clergy and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. The members of these offices of the Vatican – like all the other Vatican offices – offer their expert advice to the Holy Father so that he might better fulfill the divine mandate given to Peter to unify and “strengthen his brethren” throughout the world. The Congregation for the Clergy promotes initiatives to further the growth in holiness as well as the intellectual and pastoral life of diocesan priests and permanent deacons. A second crucial responsibility of this Congregation is the promotion of the religious formation (catechesis) of the faithful of all ages and states of life (for example, consecrated religious and lay faithful). The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts chief responsibility is to resolve questions of the interpretation and application of the Church’s 1983 Code of Canon Law and the 1990 Eastern Code. May the Holy Spirit guide our Holy Father and those to whom he looks for advice and assistance!

In the next five years our parish anticipates having to address a number of issues with regard to our physical plant including the increasingly dangerous buckling of the carpet in the church proper and the sanctuary, the hazardous deteriorating bricks and concrete between the garage and the church, the incredibly wasteful heating system in the rectory, and the security of our magnificent church and school – to name just a few. We will only be able to solve these problems if each and every parishioner generously participates in the We Belong To Christ Campaign now being conducted in our parish. Complete and return your pledge card at your earliest convenience. For those of you who have not yet picked up your pledge card please contact the parish office so that we may get it to you. If we do not hear from you we will be contacting you personally.

Thank you for your prayerful support last week as I underwent successfully (!!) the final examinations for the certification program in Catholic bioethics sponsored by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now all that remains is to write my thesis which is due July 15.

Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Father Kevin C. Louis

This weekend’s celebration of the Solemnity of Pentecost brings to a conclusion our Easter Season. The Collect (Opening Prayer) for the Vigil Mass of Pentecost summarizes the hope expressed by this liturgical memorial of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary: “Father in Heaven, fifty days have celebrated the fullness of the mystery of your revealed love. See your people gathered in prayer, open to receive the Spirit’s flame. May it come to rest in our hearts and disperse the division of word and tongue. With one voice and one song may we praise your Name in joy and thanksgiving. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.” Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Happy Mothers’ Day to all the women of our parish! May the Lord richly bless all of you! In his Apostolic Letter On the Dignity and Vocation of Women (15 August 1988) our late great Holy Father John Paul II wrote: “The Church gives thanks for each and every woman; for mothers, for sisters, for wives; for women consecrated to God in virginity; for women who watch over the human person in the family, which is the fundamental sign of the human community; for women who work professionally and who at times are burdened by a great social responsibility; for all the women as they have come forth from the heart of God in all the beauty and richness of their femininity and as they have been embraced by His eternal love” (31).

At 11:00 am on Thursday, May 15, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be celebrated within Mass at Saint Peter. In the Letter of James we read of this Sacrament: “Are there any who are sick among you? Let them send for the priests of the Church, and let the priests pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick persons, and the Lord will raise them up; and if they have committed any sins, their sins will be forgiven them” (5:14-15). The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the Anointing of the Sick “is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived” (1514). What is more, “the faithful who receive this sacrament can receive it several times if their illness becomes worse or another serious sickness afflicts them” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 316). In the Roman Rite the priest anoints with the Oil of the Infirm the sick person’s forehead and hands saying “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in His love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up” (Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum, 124). Immediately following the Mass a light lunch will be served in Kolbe Hall. Please make your reservation now by calling the parish office.

In the next five years our parish anticipates having to address a number of issues with regard to our physical plant including the increasingly dangerous buckling of the carpet in the church proper and the sanctuary, the hazardous deteriorating bricks and concrete between the garage and the church, the incredibly wasteful heating system in the rectory, and the security of our magnificent church and school – to name just a few. We will only be able to address these problems if each and every parishioner generously participates in the We Belong To Christ Campaign now being conducted in our parish. Please prayerfully consider the generous role you will play in our parish over the next five years. Complete and return your pledge card at your earliest convenience. For those of you who have not yet picked up your pledge card please contact the parish office so that we may get it to you. If we do not hear from you we will be contacting you personally.

Thank you for your prayers, kind thoughts, and cards after the recent surgery on my foot. It turned out to be a much more extensive procedure than the surgeon originally anticipated. She is happy with the initial results and hopes not to have to do a second surgery (me too!)! Thank you to Father Sakowski for filling in for me at the last moment when it became clear that there was no way I was going to be able resume my duties as quickly as originally anticipated. As you read these lines I will have just completed the final examinations for the certification program in Catholic bioethics sponsored by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am grateful for the prayerful encouragement so many of you have given to me in this grueling venture begun last August. If I successfully navigate these exams all that remains is to write my thesis which is due July 15.

Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Father Kevin C. Louis

For past issues of Father Louis's Column Strenghen Your Brethren, visit archives at the St. Peter Catholic Church Website.

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – a summary of the new Catechism in a question and answer format promulgated nearly three years ago by Pope Benedict XVI – offers a beautiful description of this weekend’s Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord: “After forty days during which Jesus showed Himself to the apostles with ordinary human features which veiled His glory as the Risen One, Christ ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the Lord who now in His humanity reigns in the everlasting glory of the Son of God and constantly intercedes for us before the Father. He sends us His Spirit and He gives us the hope of one day reaching the place He has prepared for us” (132).

“And when the hour came, Jesus sat at table, and the Apostles with Him . . . And He took bread, and when He had given thanks He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my Body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the chalice after supper, saying, ‘This chalice which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my Blood’” (Luke 22: 14-20). Congratulations to our parish children who receive the Eucharistic Lord for the first time this Sunday! May God richly bless them and their families on the occasion of this their First Holy Communion. May our appreciation of this wondrous sacramental presence of Jesus Christ increase and may our participation in this Holy Banquet deepen!

Nearly a dozen young people from our area were part of the youth delegation of our Diocese of La Crosse participating in the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium. Those from our area had made an appeal to your generosity to help them with some last-minute and unexpected expenses associated with the trip. And, of course, you were most generous in your response! Of the experience, Liz writes: “Seeing the Pope made me realize how there are so many people other than just us and our Diocese, and it was eye-opening to see all of the Catholics uniting for one common cause, to see the Holy Father.” Chelsea writes: “We were all very excited when we found out there was an opportunity for us to see the Holy Father. To see it all come together through people’s generosity was amazing. It showed us how Catholics can come together and make dreams come true! Thank you! Getting to see the Holy Father was an amazing experience topped off with great friends, and the love of a caring community. When I saw the Holy Father and all the people there to see him I also saw the great extent of the Church. Seeing so many people there who love their Faith shows us hope for that the Church will continue to grow and spread the Good News.”

In the next five years our parish anticipates having to address a number of issues with regard to our physical plant including the increasingly dangerous buckling of the carpet in the church proper and the sanctuary, the hazardous deteriorating bricks and concrete between the garage and the church, the incredibly wasteful heating system in the rectory, and the security of our magnificent church and school – to name just a few. We will only be able to address these problems if each and every parishioner generously participates in the We Belong To Christ Campaign now being conducted in our parish. In the whole Diocese the We Belong to Christ Campaign has been an overwhelming success as it is at an amazing 92 percent of the overall goal! Indeed, virtually every single parish of the Diocese has met and exceeded its goal or, at the very least, come very close. Please prayerfully consider the generous role you will play in our parish over the next five years. Please complete and return your pledge card at your earliest convenience. For those of you who have not yet picked up your pledge card please contact the parish office so that we may get it to you. If we do not hear from you we will be contacting you personally.

Please keep me in your prayers this week as I will be in Philadelphia (May 7-13) undergoing the final examinations for the certification program in Catholic bioethics sponsored by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. You may recall that I have been diligently working on this since last August, doing extensive reading and research along with weekly homework assignments. If I pass these oral examinations the only remaining thing is to finish my thesis which is due July 15. It has been a difficult and demanding program thus far, but very much worth it. Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

For past issues of Father Louis's Column Strenghen Your Brethren, visit archives at the St. Peter Catholic Church Website.