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Dear Friends,

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Thank you all for your prayers and birthday wishes.

 

As we begin the month of September, we enter into a more rigorous part of the year with schools opening and many businesses getting back into full swing. I urge all of you to use this time to thank God for the many blessings in your lives. I also ask you to pray for our children, teachers, and school administrators, especially those at St. Joan of Arc School, that this will be a year of more engaging and faith-filled learning opportunities.

 

As a pastorate community, we are looking forward to kicking off many activities in the coming weeks, from Faith Formation for children, to OCIA, to community building and worship events, all aimed to unite us together in faith and to lead us toward our Heavenly Father. On Sunday, September 13th, we will kick off our children’s Faith Formation at St. Joan of Arc Parish. We will start at 9:45am in the Church Hall. At St. Patrick, we will start the following week, Sunday, September 20th at 9:00am in the Parish Hall. I invite all parents to please bring your children for these events. It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet our awesome Faith Formation team and to learn more about the Formation calendar for the upcoming year. As we enjoy fellowship and prayer, we will also have a very fierce remote control car race with all the kids, something both Fr. Franz and I are looking forward to most.

 

Friends, this weekend we read in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew18:15-20) about fraternal correction within the Church. Jesus is giving his disciples instructions on what to do when one of their brothers sins against them. Jesus outlines for the disciples and for us all a three-step process for dealing with conflict and sin. First, we should address the person privately and attempt to resolve the dispute without outside involvement. If that fails, then we should bring two or three witnesses and confront the offender again. If the dispute is still unresolved, the matter should be brought to the attention of the entire Church community. If the offender refuses to adhere to the reparations prescribed by the community, then Jesus suggests that he or she may be cut off from the community and treated as a Gentile or tax collector.

 

As harsh as it may sound, there is hope in Jesus' teaching. We learn from other places in the Gospel that Jesus does not forget the sinners, but reaches out to them, re-evangelizes them, calls them to repentance, and restores them into communion. Therefore, today's Gospel is not only about handling conflict and division, but also about reconciliation. Through the appointed Church leaders, Jesus continues to restore broken relationships and divisions in our communities.
Friends, you are probably aware that conflict and disagreements are not foreign to any society or community, including the Church and our families. Jesus teaches us today how to resolve disagreements fairly by treating people with love, respect, and compassion. With this in mind, I would like to offer an assignment for our families this week. As you gather together, discuss the steps for resolving disputes and addressing unruly behavior in your family. What leads to conflict in your family? Do children frequently request the assistance of adults when a disagreement arises? How do the adults respond?

 

May God bless you always,
Fr. Francis