Pastor's Letter March 10: The Sacrament of Grace and Mercy

Dear Parishioners,

Lent is the acceptable time to approach the sacrament of grace and mercy, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. One of the most difficult things to do in life is admit our sins. But if the Father had to send his Son in order to save us from our sins that in fact distort our true and beautiful humanity. Humility means admitting our evil and, in that knowledge, acknowledging that we are made for God’s infinite greatness and not for a Pharisaical exultation of our own making. When we dare to humble ourselves in confession, then the Lord shows us this love in his Precious Blood that was poured out on the cross for us.

Next Monday, March 18 at 6:30 pm, we will have our Lenten Penance Service. I will be inviting several priests to come and hear confession. Please take this opportunity to prepare your soul for Holy Week and Easter.

Handmade Crosses - Malawi Fundraiser

The cross is the symbol of our faith. My father made wooden crosses and I also like to make them. Last Lent I made wooden crosses to help with the fundraising for the Catholic girls’ school in Malawi. I have done the same this year. A parishioner has given me some local wood in which I have fashioned these special crosses. I have to say they have turned out quite nice with each one unique.

These 14 hand-made crosses, made right here in Chewelah, are now available in St. Mary’s Parish Hall at different prices listed on the back. The entire amount of the proceeds will go to help the girl’s school in Malawi. Please make sure to see them during Faith Night, Soup Suppers, and Sunday Masses.

Since we had $1,300 built up from donations from before Lent this year, we are already almost $7,000 into our goal of 10K to complete the administrative building for the girl’s school. I also just recently received this recent request from Hannah, who is our contact in Malawi: 

“If there are funds raised in excess of what is needed for the admin building, would you consider designating some of it for hunger relief? Sr. Ornela helps many people who come to the convent gates and this year is harder than normal as many lost their crops last year due to the cyclone, this year's crop will not be very abundant due to lack of rain and high fertilizer costs.”

Wouldn’t it be great if we could also help with this hunger relief? Thank you so much to the anonymous donor who matches the Malawi funds raised each week. They have already donated about $3,000, and have now increased their match to $5,000 for every $1 donated.

Lastly, if you may be interested in joining me on the Diocese of Spokane Pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress this summer (July 17-21) in Indianapolis, please come to an informational meeting in the library after the 10 am Mass. This will be a very special event for the Church in the United States – the first one in the US for almost 50 years. It will feature catechetical sessions and nationally known speakers like Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bishop Robert Barron. Our own Bishop Thomas Daly will also be giving a presentation. The Diocese deadline for signing up is the end of March. You can also contact the parish office for more information.