Weekly Update from Fr. van Dooren 8.21.26

Dear brothers and sisters of our Little Church family,
 
This upcoming Sunday’s Gospel passage presents us with a very famous and powerful story from the Gospel of Matthew, the Confession of St. Peter (Matthew 16:13-20). It is such an important story that it enjoys its own feast day of January 18th.  The story is recorded in all four of the Gospels with varying details, but St. Matthew’s version is the most poetic and developed.  It is one of my favorite sermon texts, and it is a story that makes me proud and thankful to be an Anglican!  Come and see! 
 
As I mentioned in church last Sunday, we are currently seeking funds to restore the St. Joseph of Arimathea Chapel.  The Transfiguration window has several cracks, and the weight of the glass has resulted in its partial separation from the metal support grid.  Funds are being sought to repair and protect the stained glass, as well as to replace the existing wood frames and sills. In addition to restoring the Transfiguration window, the church seeks to repair the tower housing the chapel. The anticipated cost of the restoration of the Saint Joseph Chapel Tower is $420,000.  Gifts of any amount are gratefully received. Click here to read more and to donate online.
 
While we hope to raise as much funding as possible, I am cognizant that many of our parish family already give generously, and even sacrificially, through their annual financial pledge to the parish.  It is important to iterate that the funding for the chapel not take away from the annual pledge commitments.  And we realize that not everyone can give over and beyond their normal pledge.  For those who can, we are deeply grateful, and for those who can’t, we remain equally grateful for your prayers of support during this time.  
 
We only have a few weeks before the return of our boys and girls choirs, but it’s not too late to join our volunteer summer choir for the remaining weeks of summer. If you love to sing and enjoy the camaraderie of a choir, it is a beautiful way to learn and participate in the worship life of the parish. We sing most Sundays through mid-September at the 11am service. We rehearse prior to that in the church from 9:30 to 11:00am. For some special feast day services, we have a Saturday morning rehearsal. Please contact Claudia Dumschat (cdumschat@littlechurch.org) for more information.
 
The Holy Rosary will be prayed in the Family chapel at 9:30am this Sunday.  We will pray the Luminous mysteries this Sunday.      

We continue to live-stream each Sunday’s mass at 11:00am, and a link is sent out each Sunday morning at 8:00am.  We live-stream on Facebook and YouTube. Please email the parish office (parishoffice@littlechurch.org) if you would like to pray the morning and evening offices with us by Zoom. 

Thank you for your continued faith, support, and love for the parish.  

Fides Opera

With loving wishes,
Fr. van Dooren