Holy Spirit Parish

Dear Holy Spirit Parish:                                                                  May 15, 2022             “This is how all will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                      (John 13:35)
Membership based on love?  It was the radical restructuring of social relationships and boundaries that most upset Jesus’ enemies and so pleased his followers.  No other movement crossed racial and cultural boundaries like the followers of Jesus. Slave and free, Greek and Jew, male and female were welcomed if they loved one another. We can add to St. Paul’s list:  rich and poor, educated and uneducated, even sinner and saint.  He went so far as to say who his mother and brother and sisters were, was not determined by blood, but by how someone loved.  The Spirit at work in Jesus and his community of love healed lepers and cast out demons.  This Spirit will grow throughout our Easter season scriptures until it becomes the mighty wind that shakes the house at Pentecost.

I felt that same wind blowing at our Synod Listening Sessions during Lent.  There is a strong and sustained cry from those who participated in the listening sessions:  “We want to be a church where all are welcome!” Or in the words of today’s Gospel, a church where membership is based on love.   If you were not at Mass this weekend please watch the recording of Julie Meadows’ presentation of the full findings of the synod listening sessions.

If you were not a part of a Synod Listening Session it is not too late to be heard.  Our report to the Bishop is not due until June 15^th.  If your dream for the future of Holy Spirit Parish and the Church as a whole is different from what Julie reported, please share that with us.  We will be setting our Vision and Mission Statements for the next five years based in large part on what we hear through this Synod process.  Silence will be taken to mean you agree with the vision of those who have participated so far.

To have your voice added to those who have spoken thus far, simply write your answers to Pope Francis’ two questions and get them to the parish office.  The two questions are:  What has been your experience of Church in the past?  What is your dream for the Church in the future?  We will accept new submissions until June 1^st. 

The forming of that new Mission Statement will fall largely in the hands of our Parish Pastoral Council.  That is why I am so grateful to Nomination Committee members Susan Zach and Dave Rosenthal for the outstanding ballot of candidates. We will report the outcome of this weekend’s election as soon as possible but I will be doing my best to make sure everyone who ran finds a leadership role of some kind in the parish.  There is plenty of work for all.

It is hard to believe we are coming to the end of another school year.  This weekend we recognized college graduates and have the end of year Point Catholic Campus Ministry Picnic.  Next weekend we will recognize our High School graduates at the 10:30am Mass. At each Mass  an invitation will also be extended to us by Global Outreach to host a foreign exchange student for the coming school year.  Sunday afternoon there will be an end of year celebration for all those who have participated in Alpha over the past three years.   Dancing and refreshments will be offered!

“End of year” celebrations sound good.  We as a staff could use some down time after a very full, challenging and fruitful year.  I am sure we are not alone.  So much has been accomplished during the past nine months but I am most proud of the fact that we are looking more and more like disciples of Jesus Christ, recognizable by our love for one another.
          
Fr. Steve 

GALLUP

• Parishioners 18+ years old                                  
• 25 Questions + 7 Demographic                                  
• 10 minutes or less
• May 9^th – May 28th
• 3 ways to participate
  • Online on your phone, tablet or smartphone
  • Paper form available at the church
  • Call for a volunteer to help you
    • 715-344-9117   

Please consider donating a themed basket for our Basket Raffle.  Click here to add your basket name and be part of the best basket raffle in the area!

Exciting news!  It's time for our new pictorial directory.  Dates for the photo sessions will be May 9 - 21, 2022 (excludes Sunday).  Sign up now to reserve your spot by clicking here: Photo Directory Sign-Up
The church code is: wi139 and password is photos.          

Calling All Bakers!  We need bakers and hosts throughout the summer to make our Spirit Socials a success.  Please sign up here if you are able to help.  Thank you!

Click here: Annual Appeal to donate to the Diocesan Annual Appeal Online.  Thank you for your support!

To make a one time gift or to set up regular contributions 
to Holy Spirit Parish using your debit or credit card 
please click here.  
Thank you for your support!!

  Thank you to all who so generously donated to our Easter Flower Offering this lent.  Click here for a listing of our generous donors - Easter Flowers

Access our Reasons to Celebrate form here: Reasons to Celebrate