20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners,

We had a wonderful witness given at our 11 a.m. Mass last Sunday. Eli Gaeta, one of our high school seniors, asked if he could speak at the end of Mass. He is heading off to College. This is a moment of transition in his life. He wanted to thank Sacred Heart for what the parish has done for him in the last eighteen years.

I did not ask him to speak. He contacted me. I did not know exactly what he was going to say, but I was heartened by what he shared. He thanked the people of the parish for the education he had received at Seton and Alleman. He expressed appreciation for the many years that he spent in the Boy Scout troop we sponsor (Eli is an Eagle Scout). He thanked all of us for supporting him as a server and a reader at our Sunday Masses. Eli was here every Sunday and was always willing to step in when needed to assist.

Sometimes we may doubt whether all the resources and efforts that we invest in our youth are paying any dividends. It seems from Eli’s perspective we are doing a lot for our youth. We wish him well in college. We also wish all other college students good luck as they head back for fall classes.

I encourage all of them to get involved in the Newman Ministries on Campus. I invested twelve years of my life in this ministry and I know there are a lot of talents among our young people that are needed by our church. The future of the church depends on them. We hope to see all our collegians when they come home on breaks.

Blessings,

Fr. Mark

P.S. We have received word from the Society of African Missions and from the Diocese of Peoria that Fr. Matthew will be able to stay through the next year. I am sure everyone will be happy about this. He has been a welcome addition to our staff. He will be able to do more pastoral responsibility since we know he will be with us awhile. If you wish to make an appointment with Fr. Matthew for any reason please contact our office.

P.P.S Last our new Leadership training program kicked off. I would like to thank Mike Steffen, Larry Lorensen, Sister Kathleen, Jim Harl and Al Gorgal who met regularly to plan this event. The day was wonderfully received. As of now, we will be having another such day in the months ahead. Several parishioners were speakers and presenters. We are fortunate to have many knowledgeable people in our parish to push this effort forward so we can train the next generation of leaders in our parish.