Category Archives: Fr. Rudi

Posted on by

As we were reminded during the reading from the letter of St. Paul to Titus at the Mass of Midnight on Christmas Eve, God has given us a gift in the person of Jesus Christ.  This gift purifies us as God’s people but also comes with an expectation: that we receive it with thanksgiving, allowing it to transform us into Christ’s image; learning to live a life “eager to do what is good.”

 Father Rudi would like to extend his deepest gratitude to all of the wonderful parishioners who have indeed taken this gift to heart and used their time, talent and treasure in grateful thanksgiving during Advent and Christmas.

The gift of time:  Environment committee who so beautifully decorated the sanctuary and gathering space; those who decorated the Angel Trees, collected and distributed the gifts; the ushers who set up and then cleaned up chairs to handle the overflow crowd; all the lectors, servers, av operators, and ministers who served at Mass.

The gift of talent: the choir and all musicians; all who participated in and helped with the Children’s Pageant.

Finally, a special thank you to all who so willingly shared their treasure through gifts for the needy and in support of Holy Spirit. May you all be greatly blessed!

Gratitude

Posted on by

With Grateful Appreciation” to Our Pastor

November is National Vocation Awareness Month as well as our Thanksgiving holiday. It is a perfect time to express our thanks to Fr. Rudi for his dedication to both his vocation to the priesthood and his willingness to serve the spiritual needs of our Holy Spirit community.  The Vocation Ministry Committee plans to compile some appreciation notes and present them as a gift to Fr Rudi during the Christmas season. 

Blank “Appreciation Notices” will available in the gathering space this weekend. Please take one and write your personal note to Fr Rudi to express your appreciation to him for his guidance and direction that have helped you grow in your faith.  Completed cards may be left in the basket in the gathering space.

Focus on Gratitude: The mere daily act of focusing on our blessings makes us more mindful, more present to God’s mystery and gifts, and more aware of the needs of others around us.

Prayer Chalice for Vocations

Posted on by

Prayer Chalice for Vocations 

Our Prayer Chalice for Vocations program at Holy Spirit needs more families to help us continue this very important ministry. If you would like to receive the chalice at the Sunday Mass you attend, please sign up in the Traveling Prayer Chalice book located on the Vocations table in the gathering space. Someone from the ministry committee will contact you prior to your chosen Sunday to receive the chalice.

On the Saturday or Sunday that you have chosen, a chalice will be presented to you at Mass. Please come to the foot of the altar, during the Prayer for Vocations, to receive the chalice and a blessing from Fr. Rudi or one of our deacons.

Inside the prayer chalice are the names of the priest, religious, the ordained and deacon candidates who serve Holy Spirit Parish. You will also receive a prayer packet with suggested ways to pray, as well as the names of the clergy serving in our diocese, so that you can also include them in your prayers.

From there you are free to choose your unique manner of praying for them. It may be by reciting the prayers in the chalice, or maybe you might want to ask God to bless each one as you speak their names, or you might choose to spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament as you lift them up in prayer, or you might choose to pray a daily Rosary for an increase in vocations. When and how often you pray for them during the week could potentially bear fruit for yourself, your family, as well as our diocese. God does amazing things when we pray.

Please bring the prayer packet and chalice with you to Mass the following Saturday/Sunday. You may place it on the Eucharist Ministry table in the gathering space at least 15 minutes before Mass, so that the ceremonial minister can take it to the altar before Mass begins.

Thank you for considering committing to be a part of the Prayer Chalice ministry by receiving the chalice and committing to pray for vocations. Thank you.

Mini Retreats Continue

Posted on by

It is encouraging to hear the inspirational speakers share their story during our mini-retreats after our weekend Masses this month. Thank you Eben Emerson, Charles Giles, Kathryn Loskill, Marla Cottenoir, Rob Hogan, Stacy Saultz, Deacon Daniel, and Kelly Shehan. Your stories seem to promote some insight into our own Christian journeys. May we continue to strive to open our hearts to hear God’s call to guide us in our daily lives. Please check out the weekly readings and other resources on our Mini-Retreat page here.

The Almighty Creator of the Universe desires a relationship with you so much that he would sacrifice his only Son to ensure that you could be united to  him, not only in this life, but forever. Spend a few minutes meditating on the mystery of God’s great love for you.