Memo from Msgr. Raun- Tuesday April 13th, 2021
My dear family,
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL EASTER we were blessed with! I want to thank everyone who helped with our Holy Week celebrations. While it wasn't a "normal" Holy Week and Easter, it was a heck of a lot better than last year!
On Easter Sunday we had 1,737 people in the church and hall for the different Masses, and many more people outside hearing Mass, so I think I am safe to say we had 2,000 people in total - certainly the best attendance we have had since the pandemic began. Everyone behaved with great politeness and love.
SANDOVAL COUNTY IS STILL "YELLOW" - ugh! So we are still at 350 people in church. God bless those of you who have to stand during Mass - our Lord will reward you! Once we go "green", we can have 500 people in church and the chains will come down in church and we will have more seating.
We have learned a lot about the corona-virus: you are very unlikely to get it from touching something, but very likely to get it from breathing in what an infected person breaths out. So wearing masks and social-distancing are still important!
Keep on praying that God will bring an end to this pandemic.
EUCHARISTIC ADORERS NEEDED : We are in need of committed Adorers at these hours: Mondays at 3pm and 5pm; Tuesdays at 11am and Thursdays at 11am. Please call or text Sharon at 505-259-2797. Have questions about becoming a committed Adorer here at St Thomas? Call Sharon. She is happy to tell you all you need to know and answer any questions.
ALPHA IS COMING ! Our next Alpha course will start tonight, 13 April 2021. Alpha classes are a very informal setting in which to look at the Christian Faith, without fear, judgment, or pressure. If you have ever wondered about Jesus, or where you are going in your life, or how can you share the wonderful gift of your faith, then this course is for you. Please come and join us. You can register at the St. Thomas Aquinas web site. (stanm.org)
LOOKING FORWARD: the Leadership Team of your parish is very busy right now looking forward to the full reopening of our beloved parish.
From now until the end of May I think we will be operating under the current restrictions, more or less, and will be doing our best as we celebrate First Communions, Confirmations, and Graduations the best we can under the circumstances.
The Summer we will be busy rebuilding our many ministries that have been put on hold during the pandemic. Be thinking and praying about where God wants you in service of our parish family!
Then this Fall we will have a big "relaunch" of parish life, with many special events: but the heart of it will be a Parish Mission given by our dear friend, Fr. Ken Geraci the week of September 19th. We all remember how much we enjoyed and were feed by Fr. Geraci in the past, so mark your calendars now!
Please pray for the clergy and leaders of our parish family, that we can see God's will and have the strength to do it as we renew the life of our church!
PLEASE SHARE ALL THIS INFORMATION WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET!
QUOTES FROM THE SAINTS to give you peace, hope, and strength...
“Courageously follow the path of personal holiness and diligently nourish yourselves with the word of God and the Eucharist. The holier you are, the more you can contribute to building up the Church and society.”-St. John Paul the Great
I send you my fatherly blessing, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen !
Msgr. Doug Raun
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL EASTER we were blessed with! I want to thank everyone who helped with our Holy Week celebrations. While it wasn't a "normal" Holy Week and Easter, it was a heck of a lot better than last year!
On Easter Sunday we had 1,737 people in the church and hall for the different Masses, and many more people outside hearing Mass, so I think I am safe to say we had 2,000 people in total - certainly the best attendance we have had since the pandemic began. Everyone behaved with great politeness and love.
SANDOVAL COUNTY IS STILL "YELLOW" - ugh! So we are still at 350 people in church. God bless those of you who have to stand during Mass - our Lord will reward you! Once we go "green", we can have 500 people in church and the chains will come down in church and we will have more seating.
We have learned a lot about the corona-virus: you are very unlikely to get it from touching something, but very likely to get it from breathing in what an infected person breaths out. So wearing masks and social-distancing are still important!
Keep on praying that God will bring an end to this pandemic.
EUCHARISTIC ADORERS NEEDED : We are in need of committed Adorers at these hours: Mondays at 3pm and 5pm; Tuesdays at 11am and Thursdays at 11am. Please call or text Sharon at 505-259-2797. Have questions about becoming a committed Adorer here at St Thomas? Call Sharon. She is happy to tell you all you need to know and answer any questions.
ALPHA IS COMING ! Our next Alpha course will start tonight, 13 April 2021. Alpha classes are a very informal setting in which to look at the Christian Faith, without fear, judgment, or pressure. If you have ever wondered about Jesus, or where you are going in your life, or how can you share the wonderful gift of your faith, then this course is for you. Please come and join us. You can register at the St. Thomas Aquinas web site. (stanm.org)
LOOKING FORWARD: the Leadership Team of your parish is very busy right now looking forward to the full reopening of our beloved parish.
From now until the end of May I think we will be operating under the current restrictions, more or less, and will be doing our best as we celebrate First Communions, Confirmations, and Graduations the best we can under the circumstances.
The Summer we will be busy rebuilding our many ministries that have been put on hold during the pandemic. Be thinking and praying about where God wants you in service of our parish family!
Then this Fall we will have a big "relaunch" of parish life, with many special events: but the heart of it will be a Parish Mission given by our dear friend, Fr. Ken Geraci the week of September 19th. We all remember how much we enjoyed and were feed by Fr. Geraci in the past, so mark your calendars now!
Please pray for the clergy and leaders of our parish family, that we can see God's will and have the strength to do it as we renew the life of our church!
PLEASE SHARE ALL THIS INFORMATION WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET!
QUOTES FROM THE SAINTS to give you peace, hope, and strength...
“Courageously follow the path of personal holiness and diligently nourish yourselves with the word of God and the Eucharist. The holier you are, the more you can contribute to building up the Church and society.”-St. John Paul the Great
I send you my fatherly blessing, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen !
Msgr. Doug Raun
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