Dear Parishioners

 

School is back in session. North Ridgeville Public Schools resumed full force last Thursday, August 21. Our society understands that a young person’s future and, in many ways, happiness are connected to his or her education. A college degree or a trade (plumber, electrician, HVAC) opens doors for opportunity. Of course, those specialized areas build upon the formation given to elementary and high school students.

 

Pray for the success of our local schools, be they public, Catholic, charter, or private. After the family and Church, schools are the next most influential institutions in our society. God bless the labors of our schoolteachers, administrators, and other school staff.

 

On Wednesday of this week, I will be leading a five-week book study on Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philippe. I have found the book enlightening, comforting and, at times, challenging. If you have an Amazon account, you should be able to get the book on time. The book itself is short but packed with wisdom. All are welcome.

 

This weekend St. Julie Parish will be having its annual missionary cooperative appeal. We welcome Fr. Manesh Thomas Parackel. He is a member of the Congregation of the Rogationists. He is currently stationed in Van Nuys, CA. However, his country of origin is India. Please give Fr. Manesh a warm welcome and your full attention this weekend.

 

Labor Day is Monday, September 2. There will only be one Mass in North Ridgeville that day. It will be at 9:00 a.m. at St. Julie Parish. All are welcome as we gather to thank God for labor and for rest!

 

A week ago Wednesday, the staffs of St. Peter and St. Julie Parishes met to reflect on the upcoming year. We discussed opportunities as well as the obstacles that lay before us as we seek to call people in our area to know Christ, love Christ, and serve Christ together. We saw our community as an opportunity. North Ridgeville is a safe and vibrant city with lots of new people. Obstacles included the busyness of life, the thinking of many people that God is irrelevant, and the multitude of distractions that preoccupy people.

 

We will be meeting again to prayerfully strategize how to maximize our opportunities and confront the obstacles in our efforts to spread the gospel and summon all people, especially our non-practicing Catholics, to the “obedience of faith.” (Romans 1:5 and 16:26)

 

At the end of July, St. Julie Parish joined the St. Peter Parish Vincentians in the area wide Back to School collection. The parishioners at St. Julie Parish raised over $1,037. This money will be split equally between Community Care and the St. Julie PSR program. God’s blessings on the people of St. Julie Parish for their generosity!

 

In today’s gospel, a man directly confronted Jesus with a question: Will only a few people be saved? Wisely, Jesus did not directly answer the question. Instead, his answer challenges all of us: Strive to enter through the narrow gate. Jesus went on to say that many will strive for that gate and not make it. Sobering words indeed!

 

One thing that Jesus is implying here is that we do not drift into the Kingdom of God. We need to choose. I believe that there are people who make that choice on their death bed. God does share with us mercy at those moments. However, the normal way we enter the Kingdom is by choosing Christ day by day. At times this means going against the tide of our culture that is drifting further from God. May the Lord help us choose him each day.

 

In Christ,

 

Fr. Bob Franco