Pastor’s Letter: February 18, 2024

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We began the Season of Lent with the receiving of Ashes  on our Forehead together with the words “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Wednesday was also Valentine’s Day.  We recognize not only the unconditional love of God in our lives but also his mercy as seen on the Cross.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.  As  always Lent is not a Season of giving up but rather a Season of Renewal.  What would you like God to do for you?  Please see the bulletin for Spiritual Opportunities offered during the Season of Lent.

Both St John Vianney and Mary Our Queen Knights of Columbus will be hosting their Annual Fish Fries on Fridays throughout the Season of Lent.  Please join us if you are able to.

The Young Adult Group at SJV hosted a Mardi Gras Party last Tuesday. Special thanks to Deacon Chris who made the Jambalaya.  It was a wonderful evening.  The Young Adult Group gathers on a regular basis at SJV and would like to invite all Young Adults at SJV and MOQ to join them.  Please see the bulletin for more details.

On Friday the 9th, MOQ School hosted 2 sessions of Kindergarten Roundup.  Thanks to the gift of our Early Childhood Education and Youth Center, MOQ hosted our largest Kindergarten roundup in a while  with 71 new students.  This includes 4 families from SJV.  We only have a few spots left for our  Kindergarten Class.  Please call the school for more details.  I am grateful for all the hard work of our staff in making this possible.

Mary Our Queen’s Annual Fundraiser – The MARQUEE was last Saturday. This event supports Mary Our Queen Parish.  I would like to thank this year’s Chairs – Nicky and Jamie McCarville, Katryna and Steve Floersch and Nicky and Andrew Rainbolt and all our subcommittee chairs and volunteers for making this event possible.    The proceeds for this year’s Raise the  Paddle will go towards updating our classrooms with new flooring, ceiling tiles, video projectors and whiteboards.  We are grateful for your generosity that helps continue building up our Parish Community.

We are in the midst of acquiring the house that is next to our Early Childhood Education and Youth Center.  The owners of the house have offered us the opportunity to purchase it and after consulting our Finance Committee and the Archdiocese, we made an offer.  In the past, we turned down the opportunity to purchase the house whose previous owners gave us the first right of refusal.  We believe that this is an opportunity that we cannot refuse.  The plan is to have the house removed and to provide a green space for the preschoolers to use.

God’s Blessings,

Fr Marc