Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
1 Kings 19.4-8 Psalm 34 Ephesians 4.30-5.2 John 6.41-51
For several weeks here in August, the gospel is taken from what is called the “Bread of Life Discourse” of John’s Gospel. During each of these weeks, Jesus reminds us that he is the bread of life and that whoever eats this living bread will live forever. The Eucharist, the living bread and saving cup of Christ, is the most important thing we do as Christians; it is the most important part of our life as a parish. When we gather in this church as a community to celebrate the Eucharist, we become the Body of Christ for the world. And when we go forth from this church each week, we take Christ wherever we will go. But, of course, there is much more that we do as a parish – there are many more ways we live as the Body of Christ in the world. Last week, I shared an update on the facilities and capital construction projects that are coming up here in our parish. This week, in the second and final part of this year’s State of the Parish report, I’d like to give an update on the life and ministries of our parish that help us live out the Eucharist we celebrate.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish is currently made up of 1,162 families comprising approximately 3,364 individuals – that’s an increase of about 20 families over the past year. Over the past fiscal year, from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009, we celebrated 45 infant baptisms and 6 adults were either baptized or received into the full communion of the church. Forty-six young people celebrated their First Communion; 33 high schoolers received the sacrament of Confirmation. Nine couples got married here, and 17 people were buried from our parish. In looking at trends, our number of baptisms, first communions, and confirmations have remained steady. 2008 was an average year for weddings, but the current calendar year of 2009 has 19 weddings scheduled, the most since 1995. The only major change in statistics this past year was in funerals – we typically average between 25 and 30 funerals each year, so the 17 of this past year was a low number.
Of course, our parish community is much more than statistics. During this past year, we welcomed our first full-time Director of Liturgical Music Ministries who has helped to coordinate and expand our music ministries in the parish. We held the first annual Tent Event last fall, which was an astounding success, bringing over 900 people to an evening of fun and fellowship. In the spring, we launched the new Kingdom Builder’s Tuition Assistance program, which so far has brought new contributions of over $17,500 exclusively for tuition assistance for our school. We observed the Year of St. Paul in a variety of ways, including an ecumenical prayer service and monthly Soup and Soul Food gatherings. Our parish Youth Ministry hosted a 24-hour Food Fast for the entire deanery as well as many other programs. During last fall’s windstorm, our parish staff hosted a Light in the Dark dinner for parishioners and neighbors who were without power for several days. Our Faith Formation and Youth Ministry offices collaborated to host a Sports Life Camp at the beginning of the summer. In the area of Vocations, each week since last September, a family or individual has prayed with our Parish Vocations Cross; 17 young men were identified as possible candidates for the priesthood during a Called by Name program, and we hosted Archbishop Daniel at our parish for a vocations discernment evening. This past year was also the final implementation year for the Envision parish planning process. This three-year process for expanding and improving our parish ministries has especially focused on the areas of Adult Faith Formation, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Child Care, and Family Connections. In the coming weeks, we will celebrate the many accomplishments of the Envision process and have a chance to read about the many parish ministries that have seen growth over the past three years. And there certainly has been much growth.
But now is also the time to look forward to the future of our parish life and ministries. This coming year, there is one exciting new ministry program that we will be starting in the area of faith formation. We currently have a variety of faith formation programs available in our parish, for people from preschool through adulthood. Most of these programs have been operating independently, and they have done so well. But beginning this fall, all of our parish faith formation programs will be part of one unified structure called One Church, One Faith. This total parish faith formation program includes Sacramental Preparation for Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation; our high school youth group; RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults; a variety of adult faith formation programs, including the popular Soup and Soul Food series; and Faith First, our parish faith formation program for preschool through eighth grade. All One Church, One Faith programs will be held on Wednesday evenings – and no other parish activities, meetings, or athletic games or practices are scheduled for Wednesday evenings, so everyone can participate in the faith formation programs. And One Church, One Faith is for everyone – families whose children attend Catholic schools or public schools, young adults, married couples, single people, widows, divorced, young and old, and everywhere in between. Some of these programs will be held every Wednesday night – like Faith First, youth group, and RCIA. Other, large-group programs, will be held once a month. On the second Wednesday of every month, all of our Sacramental Preparation programs will meet – for parents of infants to be baptized, for second-graders and their parents for First Reconciliation and First Communion, and for high school students for Confirmation.
But the highlight of One Church, One Faith takes place on the first Wednesday of each month in what we are calling Week One. Each Week One will begin with a simple supper prepared by group within the parish. We will then divide into groups by age for a discussion or presentation on a common topic – so that elementary students might be in the school cafeteria doing a project, high school youth might be in the youth room with a panel discussion, and adults in Wagner Hall with a guest speaker – all on the same topic, one of the basic beliefs of our faith. At the end of the evening, everyone will gather together in the church for a closing prayer service. Child care will be available for young children, and each Week One program stands alone – you can come one month or every month throughout the school year.
What I find exciting about entire One Church, One Faith program – and especially Week One – is that it really shows what parish life and community is all about. We gather together as members of the Body of Christ – as a whole community – to share fellowship, to pray, and to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Because of the one faith we share, we are part of one Church – and this program helps us to live as members of that one Church. Booklets will be available in the coming weeks that explain the One Church, One Faith program and to give the schedule for the entire year – and I encourage you to make some aspect of our Wednesday night faith formation program a priority in your own lives in the coming year. Because it really is true: our parish is all about community, a community centered on Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, who calls us to follow him. The more we pray together, the more we learn about our faith, the more we grow in grace through the sacraments – the more and more we will become vessels of the Body of Christ in the world.
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