First, let me thank the 372 parishioners who sent in the Disciple Maker Survey. The re- sults that we will get this summer will be invaluable in helping us to do pastoral planning. I also suspect that it will give outsiders a picture of how we are as a parish. I look forward to hearing the results.
I also want you to start focusing on Fr. Joe’s retirement festivities that will take place on Sunday April 3rd, Mercy Sunday. Fr. Joe will concelebrate the 11am Mass and then we will have a two hour reception afterwards with food, talks, and gifts! Fr. Joe was and is a remark- able priest and man. I can honestly say he is a saint, and we were blessed to have had him at St. Jerome for 21 years. Watch the bulletin in the following weeks for more information about the day.
Remember it is not too early to start thinking about the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. Our Triduum will be especially meaningful this year since we will be sharing it with three young men (Mitchell Cooper, James Hill, and Nicky Beliveau) who will be Baptized as well as one young man (Gary Innes) who will be received into the Church and Confirmed. Their presence will add to the power of these high holy days.
Finally, if you are interested in the work of CONECT (Congregations Organized for a new Connecticut), come to an evening session in our Hall on Monday night, March 7th. It will be a short gathering, no more than an hour and a quarter, but you will see why the work of CONECT and the wider Industrial Areas foundation organizations is so important. CONECT and her sis- ter organizations draw people together to work for changes in our world that help to bring about the Kingdom of God. Our work on gun violence is a concrete example. So come and observe on Monday night, March 7th, in the Hall.
