The Road to Renewal
From the Desk of Father David
Dear Friends in Christ,
A very special thank you to all those who made the Fall Fest a great success. The core committee, Tom Wojcik, Ginny Stolarski, Liz Pollak, Carol Winiarski and the many volunteers who stepped forward did an outstanding job to help safely bring people together and raise needed funds for the parish.
If you have not read Bishop Sharfenburger’s letter and the Road to Renewal bullet points, please do so before you continue reading my letter. There are many possible reactions ranging from I have heard that before when we did the Journey in Faith and Grace and when we discuss the school closing to isn’t that wonderful the laity can be heard and plans are being made for a bright future for our Diocese. What is your reaction? My response to The Road to Renewal is that I am going to give it all that I have trusting that the Diocese really wants to hear from everyone and their participation will guide their decisions. If this is true then my participation can help make great things happen in our Diocese; if this is not true I will be able to hold my head up high knowing that I did my best to make things better.
What you should expect from me is: trying to discern the action of the Holy Spirit, open and honest dialogue with you about what is happening, an open mind as I listen to your concerns, ideas, or what is on your heart, I will participate to the best of my ability and pray for those guiding the journey and for the people of the Diocese daily.
What I am asking of you: Prayers for those guiding the journey and for the Diocese, Active participation by staying informed of the facts and avoiding gossip, not giving in to fear, believing that Jesus will bring about a bright future, and as a parish be willing to stand together even when we disagree. The Diocese of Buffalo has set up a website to help all of us stay informed; it is roadtorenewal.org.
I would like to end with a prayer from St. Teresa of Avila.
Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you,
all things will pass away.
God never changes;
patience obtains all things,
whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices. Amen
May the Holy Spirit guide us through these difficult times with His unchanging love.
In Christ,
Fr. David
