Dear Parishioners:
Once again, sweltering greetings from the rectory. I hope all goes well by you.
As you may know, Fr. Jaison is visiting his family in India. He will be back in August. Fr. Cona is also away for two weeks. He was asked to be the Chaplain of the “Tertio Millennio” Seminar in Kracow, Poland.
The Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society was founded in 1992 by Michael Novak, Rocco Buttiglione, Father Richard John Neuhaus, Father Maciej Zięba OP and George Weigel to deepen the dialogue on Catholic social doctrine between North American students and students from the new democracies of central and eastern Europe.
The seminar follows the template of Pope John Paul II’s 1991 encyclical, Centesimus Annus, exploring the three-fold foundations of the “free society”: a democratic polity, a free economy, and a vibrant public moral culture. With John Paul II, the seminar places priority on the moral culture. Drawing on the full tradition of Catholic social doctrine, the seminar addresses the classic themes of the Church’s social doctrine while also considering the challenges of our current circumstances: the moral crisis of global capitalism, secularization and the family, the rise of Islam in Europe, religious freedom, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, bioethics and the “culture of life” etc.
Fr. Cona was asked to be the Chaplain for the Seminar, which really is a nice honor. He celebrates Mass, hears Confessions, and leads some discussion groups on various topics. I told him that food-wise, pirogi are really just Polish ravioli, so he should not be afraid to eat them!
Meanwhile back at the ranch we call St. Patrick, Summer Camp is in full swing and Vacation Bible School is just a few weeks away. See the bulletin about the details regarding how to register, costs, etc. I will say that the Camp kids do a lot of fun things.
Remember: Together, we can do something beautiful for God.
In Christ,
Fr. Brian