Happy 4th of July weekend! I hope that you have a great time with family and friends at any BBQ you attend. I ask you to pause at some point in the celebrations and remember this great country of ours and genuinely pray for it and all our people and institutions. Our democracy is more fragile than we all think. As we witness the terrible war in Ukraine, may we never take for granted the freedoms we enjoy and treasure. May we pray for unity in our country around peace and justice for all people. And may we show love to all those in our extended family and share a hug with both young and old. We have a lot of loving touch to catch up on! A good hug heals a lot of wounds! ☺
On Sunday, I head off on vacation to visit my brother and his family in Utah and hopefully do some great hiking. I just need to get to the top of some mountain where there is no cell phone coverage and rest for a while! It has been a great year of ministry but a hard year for me personally and I need some rest. Thank you for your prayers.
It is hard to believe that I completed my second year here at St. Simon. I want to thank you for another wonderful year as your pastor. As I reflect on this last year, I am amazed at what we accomplished together through this uncertain year. We were able to bring many parish and school activities back up to full speed. Summer and Fall events are scheduled, and we have added lots of new offerings for us to come together in community. Last year has truly been a blessing and it has been wonderful to finally meet people face to face and get to know you all.
The more I get to know the parishioners here at St. Simon, the more I love it here and love you all. You are a special parish with hearts bigger than normal. You care for each other and love to socialize with each other. But what makes you even more special is you extend that hospitality and love to others in need. You are amazing! Thank you for staying engaged and showing up for our retreats, concerts, and celebrations we were able to hold. As we plan for next year we are resuming all activities and more. We look forward to seeing you at some of the major events coming up, especially the Fall BBQ and the Rummage Sale, as well as our seasonal Concerts and of course Auction 2023. You are a truly awesome parish and I so look forward to coming back from vacation and engaging in the year ahead.
Finally, I want to thank Karen Moreira and her entire team of volunteers for a great Vacation Bible School this year. Please watch the video or look through some of the photos included in this eBulletin below. Also we recorded our Concert for Peace and it is now available for viewing. If you did not get a chance to attend, it is definitely worth your time to watch. Tamami Honma and her friends did a fantastic job and John Angotti brought the choir and ensembles together for a grand finale. It was wonderful. Please pass it on to others.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan