On Wednesday of last week, the St. Dominic-Gesu-Our Lady of Peace-Holy Spirit Cluster committee gathered together to share ideas about strengthening our Catholic presence in the large community. An idea was proposed that the Catholic churches in the area should be represented at the Shaker Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. The committee decided it would be a positive action if we rented a table at the market, and each parish provide at least one representative from their community to be available with brochures and information about their parish. Jesus spent more time in the marketplace than he did in the temple, and rather than waiting for people to come to us, our presence at the market would be a welcome invitation to come join us in our respective communities. Those who are searching for a parish community or who have been hurt by the church would have the opportunity to talk to church members and be encouraged to “come home” and give us another try. The committee decided to attempt this form of evangelization once a month, and each parish has been asked to find at least one volunteer to be present at the “Catholic table.” The time commitment would be from 8am to 12noon on a Saturday morning. You would be asked to choose one month to volunteer, or several months, depending on your schedule. Singles, families with children, married couples…all are welcome to consider this ministry! If this is a ministry you would be interested in, or if you would like more information, please contact me at the rectory office or by email. I look forward to hearing from you.
Plans are being made to begin our parish RCIA process on September 22. This program is for all those interested in inquiring about becoming members of the Catholic Church. The program will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7-8:15pm, and will be lead by myself, Lisa Factora-Borchers, and Nick Borchers. If you would like more information about this process, please feel free to contact any of us at the rectory office or through our email accounts. There is a direct link on the parish website for more information.
There was a great energy in the school gym as the St. Dominic School parents celebrated “back to school night”. After an opening prayer in the gym, parents proceeded to classrooms of their children and heard a presentation by each of the homeroom teachers. After these class meetings, the parents returned to the gym for a “happy hour”, where they renewed old friendships and met the many new families that have joined our school community. It was a wonderful evening and great way to start off the new school year!