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Consider this… Thankfulness and Progress!

I wanted to write one last column to thank each of you for your amazing generosity and kindness as I move on from helping out at the New St. Mary’s. The dinner, beautiful words, prayers, cards and gifts were overwhelming! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Just remember to keep it all going! You’re a great parish and will be an even stronger family! Thanks too for the wonderful support of the horse pull last weekend. The weather was amazing, the chicken bbq great and the horses were wonderful to see again on the parish grounds.

Lastly, I wanted to share with all of you the work that has been done, or is scheduled to be completed in our parish. At the parish work days more work was accomplished than can possibly be listed here, from pew repairs, to garbage removal, to repairing siding, cleaning out old books, organization and cleaning, to many other tasks. We can be proud of what was accomplished!

The following other work is underway:

1. Carpets cleaned at EAWS — took place on Monday, 5/22

2. Doors replaced on parish hall at EAWS …

3. Modifications to sound systems at EAWS and AWS …

4. Front entrance doors to EAWS are to be repaired soon — estimates were received and approval given …

5. Parish sign at AWS was repaired and now lights are up again …

6. Outdoor lights and timer repaired in front of church /rectory …

7. Bathtub will be replaced in the rectory in AWS, as (a hole was cut in the side of the tub) …

8. All the drains around the church were roto-rootered for runoff water flow (AWS) …

9. Shingle garage roof at AWS (date TBD) …

10. Shingle shelter roof at EAWS — needs contractor – (date TBD) …

11. Carpet in the AWS church will be replaced — it is scheduled for August …

12. Wall in the basement in the back hall that has water damage will be repaired, and the water damage on the wainscoting in the main hall will be repaired …

13. Carpet in the back classrooms and hall under the rectory will be replaced — scheduled for August …

14. The plaster repairs in the AWS church by the sacristy door will be repaired and painted — scheduled for August …

15. Work on the high altar will take place and should be completed in August (this was originally part of the centennial plan for SSPP in 2007, but was never completed because of a change of pastors) this will also include some repainting/freshening up of paint in the sanctuary at AWS …

16. Front steps to the church at AWS to be replaced – the project needs to be approved by the Diocese because of cost — a bid was received just last week. IF … all goes well, this could happen in August/ September …

Lots has happened — and it’s all possible because of your support and generosity. Thanks to all who have helped coordinate this. If you would like to contribute to one of these projects, simply make a check out to St. Mary’s with maintenance projects in the memo line.

God Bless and keep smiling 🙂 Fr. Bryan

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Based on Fr. Bryan’s letter from the bulletin of May 28, 2023.

This past Friday, May 26th was the 50th Anniversary of the Priestly Ordination of Fr. Al Osiander, our Sr. Parochial Vicar in Family #33. We would like to congratulate Fr. Al for his many years of ministry to our diocese including the 25 years at St. Jude along with his dedicated ministry at Christ the King Seminary. Our prayers and best wishes for many more fruitful years to come. Ad Multos Annos!

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Based on the bulletin of May 28, 2023.

Consider this… It’s up to you!

First, it is horse pull weekend! I hope that you take advantage of a great chicken bbq along with a unique and fun community event at our East Arcade Worship Site. Special thanks to all who worked at pulling (get the pun?) this together! Many thanks to our volunteers and to those who contributed.

Second, this is my last weekend with you helping out. I’m sure that I will be around again occasionally to see how things are going, but it’s important for all of you to realize that it’s up to you! The parish has come alive since February with ministries restarting, committees beginning to form and meet again, as well as, many other signs of life becoming visible with kids at Mass, baptisms taking place, and much more. The one comment that I have heard since I arrived that continually broke my heart was, ‘once you’re gone this will all end.’ I have to be very clear with all of you — it doesn’t have to end!

Fr. Dan is a great pastor who wants vibrancy and vitality in his parishes. Fr. Dan has shared with me that he is all about empowering people to do things in the parish, his only requirement (along with most pastors) is that he knows what is happening. You’ve seen what is possible, and how people are responding. Now each of you need to contribute what you can to continue the vibrancy that you know is possible. Please, don’t let the good things that have started again end! The Renewal work with the pillars is continuing and part of the pillars job is to identify things that the family of parishes needs to grow in. Please be supportive of the family of parishes and give change a chance.

At this time the new Mass schedule will begin on June 3 — 4 [2023]. I know that Arcade is currently losing the 5pm Saturday Mass which will be moving to Sardinia at 5pm. Please give it a try or maybe consider coming to Sunday morning Masses in AWS or EAWS. We don’t want to lose anyone moving into the family model. Also please know that using your envelope guarantees that your donation goes to your parish, so no matter what you decide or where you may go to church, if you use your envelope, it can still support your parish of ‘The New St. Mary’s.’

Third, in collaboration with Fr. Dan, next week I will put in the bulletin a list of the projects that have been accomplished or are scheduled throughout the summer to be accomplished. We have made much progress and I thank all those who have helped to coordinate these efforts!

Lastly, thank you! It has been wonderful being home, celebrating the sacraments and journeying with all of you closer to Jesus. It has been a dream come true for me and I will certainly treasure this time. You’re my home parish, I know what you’re capable of and I expect our parish to be a leader and an example of how Renewal is possible. Don’t let me down!

Love you all… keep smiling 🙂 Fr. Bryan

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Based on Fr. Bryan’s letter from the bulletin of May 21, 2023. Year indication added, and links added to some text.

Looking for Name Suggestions for Our Family # 33

Currently our ‘Family of Parishes’ is referred to as ‘Family # 33.’ Our family consists of St. Aloysius of Springville, St. John The Baptist in West Valley, St. Jude in Sardinia, and St. Mary’s of Arcade and East Arcade. Please help us come up with a meaningful and descriptive name for our family!

Guidelines and Regulations: The name must…

1. Embrace all parishes within the family.
2. Be something all parishes can relate to in some way.
3. Reflect a historical significance, geographical feature, or an acronym that represents the parishes.
4. Not be a Saint’s name, so Our Family Name will not be confused with the name of a parish.

Here are the names of some of the Pilot Families: Beloved Disciples of Christ the Lord, Central Niagara Catholic Family, Eastern Rural Roman Catholic Community, Catholic Community Buffalo North, Three Catholic Sisters of the Foothills, Catholic Family of South Buffalo…

Family of Parishes Naming Ideas

Please drop in the collection basket at Mass or email ideas to staloy [at] roadrunner.com.

Thank you!!

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Based on the bulletin of May 21, 2023.

Now that Spring is here, we will begin to maintain our parish cemeteries. A Cemetery Upkeep envelope is included in your boxed envelopes. Your donations help us to maintain the resting place of your loved ones. Your donation may be mailed to the parish office or placed in the collection basket. Thank you for your generosity!

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Based on the bulletin of May 21, 2023.

Consider this… Hope and Mothers

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.
1Pt 3:15

How often do people ask us why we are hopeful? If that doesn’t happen on a regular basis, maybe we should ask ourselves why? As we are in the Easter Season, we are invited to recognize the hope that is given to us because of the resurrection. If hope is really a part of our lives, nothing can bring us down, no tragedy, no fight, no renewal, no job loss, nothing! Now, I realize that this is easier said than done.

Consider how much effort and energy we invest in things that are never going to help us have hope. When we invest in things that bring us hope, it can change our lives! Jesus is the ultimate source of hope for us, and sometimes when things don’t go our way, have we ever considered that maybe Jesus is trying to guide us in a different path that we haven’t been open to or considered? Hope requires trust in God’s plan. Again, easier said than done.

This weekend as we celebrate Mother’s Day, it is a time to recognize how much Mothers are an image of hope in our world today. First I want to acknowledge that when we speak of Mothers, I include all women in this category. I believe that all women have an innate ability to foster life in their own unique way. For some it is in the traditional sense of forming a home with a husband, bearing children and nurturing them. For others it’s through the female generative nature in creating life by how they interact with people and the world. Some women bring life into the world by how they create relationships of love, or by bringing beauty to the world through talents and caring, or by nurturing friends through difficult times in life.

Women have a natural ability to be hope bearers and we recognize their giftedness and the many ways they sacrifice for others, so that others can be better. This is what I believe we celebrate today. Thank you and blessings to every form of Mother on this Mother’s Day Weekend! We pray for you in a special way and ask God to bless you.

This week we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord on Thursday [May 18, 2023], which is a Holy Day of obligation. There will not be a vigil mass because of my schedule with the Diocese. I apologize, but on Thursday the masses will be as follows:

• 8:30 am — Arcade worship site
• 5:30 pm — Arcade worship site
• 7:00 pm — East Arcade worship site

Let’s strive this week to be people who embrace, share and spread hope. Just think of what the world would be like if we spread hope as easily as we spread other things.

Keep smiling 🙂 Fr. Bryan

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Based on Fr. Bryan’s letter in the bulletin of May 14, 2023. Modified slightly, formatted for web, and emphasis modified from original.