Dear Parishioners,
My wife and I had our 45th wedding anniversary recently. We don’t get each other gifts, but we usually go out to dinner for a nice meal. Well this year with the Covid epidemic, we ordered out and ate at home. It is a time to reflect and reminisce. One of things that came to mind was the many wonderful communities we have been a part of.
We joined a Marriage Encounter group early on in our marriage that provided us with a wonderful group of couples to meet with, to spend time with, and to develop relationships. They taught us so much about marriage and the ins and outs of communication, sacrifice, and healing that are a part of marriage. These skills and abilities strengthen and sustain us as a couple.
Another community that was instrumental in our growth as persons, as a couple, and a family was that of the several parish communities of which we have been a part. The opportunities for growth and relationship building that come through the ministries of the church, through the opportunities for service, have been wonderful and greatly fulfilling. We have never lived around family, so we have relied on our church as a place for community and a place to belong. We have had work for sure, but the parishes we have been a part of have given us the greatest foundation and space to find out who we are and who we are in the eyes of God. Our relationships with the several priests we have encountered on our spiritual journey have been powerful and given such a warm and strong sense of the role that God plays in our lives.
Finally, our connection to the deacon community in Indiana is a cherished experience that formed us both not only as deacon and deacon’s wife but as people of the Word, Sacrament, and Community. God has shown a great light on our lives, a light of love, a light of joy, a light of community. I can only wish that you, as well, find such a place where you can thrive and grow in faith, service, and love.
Blessings,
Deacon Steve
