Pastor’s Letter: October 1, 2023

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Next Saturday, October 7, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady  of the Rosary whose feast day focuses on the intercessory power of Mary. Please join us for our annual Candlelight Rosary Procession at 7pm beginning in Mary Our Queen Church.   We will then process around Mary Our Queen’s Campus praying the Rosary.  The evening will conclude with Benediction.

We would like to welcome Jodi Meyer as our new Director for Outreach and Mission Coordinator for both St John Vianney and Mary Our Queen. Jodi is concluding her commitments as Network Director for Alpha Nebraska and will join us part time till the end of the year and will assume a full-time position beginning January next year.  Mary Our Queen is an Alpha hub where we have been assisting other Churches and groups establish their Alpha program with best  practices.  Alpha’s goal is to invite people back to a decision point and to decide  for Christ.  We last had a combined Alpha in the spring of this year. Alpha will continue to play a big role in our Family of Parishes with Jodi as our coordinator.  Jodi will also assist all our small prayer and bible study groups and help foster more of such groups with resources so that our faith continues to grow and thrive.

To foster small group gatherings for prayer, reflection, bible studies etc.  We have purchased some new living room furniture (sofas etc) for both St John Vianney and Mary Our Queen.  There is new furniture at the Family Room and Young Adult Room at St John Vianney and the Work Room (whose name will be changed) at the Parish Center in Mary Our Queen.  We are hoping to create more spaces for Parish groups to gather.  More details to follow.

St John Vianney and Mary Our Queen became a Family of Parishes on July 1st.  It has been about three months since we combined our offices and shared our resources and ministries like our food pantry and RCIA program.  I know there have been concerns and questions regarding the planning and arrangements that  we have been making for our Family of Parishes.  Please know that no decision  made has been unilaterally but through consultation and bearing in mind the traditions of each Parish.  We would like to have a Town Hall Meeting on the 5th of October at 7pm to address our Mission and the planning that was involved, as well as to address any questions and concerns you might have.  It will be at the Social Hall of St John Vianney.  Please join us if you can.

I met with Fr Mario Rapose earlier this week and was informed that the  Archbishop has granted him limited faculties to celebrate Mass at St John Vianney for the next several months.  We will begin to schedule him for Masses beginning in October.

St John Vianney had its Fall Festival last Sunday.  Thank you to all our volunteers who made this day a success.

MOQ Athletic Committee will be hosting its Trivia Night on October 14. Please join us if you can.  The MOQ Athletic Committee offers sports activities for grades K to 8 for both Mary Our Queen and St John Vianney’s Parishioners.  For more details visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/maryourqueen.athletics/

We have been offering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at Mary Our Queen for the last three years and have recently assembled an atrium for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at St John Vianney.  The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori based Catechesis method serving three to six year olds in the Parish with the Atrium or prepared environment that helps the relationship between God and your child to flourish.  We are hoping to offer the Catechesis of the Good  Shepherd for our second graders in preparation for their First Holy Communion in the near future.  We are looking for more adult catechists to assist in this program.  For more details, please call the Parish office.  We also have a few more spaces open at St John Vianney.

God’s Blessings,

Fr Marc