Memo from Msgr. Raun- Tuesday April 20th, 2021
My dear family,
HOW LONG, O LORD, HOW LONG ? Pray hard that this Thursday, our Governor will make Sandoval County "green". That way we can open up the church to 500 people and take down the chains! Thank you to everyone for being so patient with all this. Let's pray that the day of the end of all restrictions is soon coming!
MAY CROWNING: It's hard to believe that May - the month of our Blessed Mother - is almost here. So, as is our custom, on Saturday, May 1st, at 7 pm, we will have our traditional May Crowning celebration. We will have the Rosary, crowning of our Lady's statue, the prayer of consecration to our Lady, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Everyone is welcome to bring flowers to present to our Lady.
We have always had ice cream social for the kids after the May Crowning. Due to the virus, we will have a "drive-by" ice cream social after the service where the kids (and anyone else!) can pick up "ice cream to-go" ! Let's honor our dear Blessed Mother as we begin her special month!
UPCOMING WOMEN'S RETREAT: "Eve's Sorrow, Mary's Joy" will be this Saturday, April 24th, 8am to 2pm. Mary, the Second Eve through her obedience gave to us hope and joy through the birth of her Son, who died for our sins. Join us as we explore how we can overcome our sense of shame, guilt, and anxiety and experience the joy and happiness of Mary. The retreat will be COVID safe conducted via Zoom. To register go to the St. Thomas website and click on Grow and scroll to Adult Ministries.
A THANK YOU NOTE FROM THE FILIPPINI SISTERS:
Dear Monsignor Raun,
On behalf of the Religious Teachers Filippini, I want to extend my sincere appreciation to you and to the parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas for your very generous donation in the amount of $16,011.60 to our community for the Retirement Fund. Please know that the result of your parish efforts in raising funds for our Sisters was received with profound gratitude.......Be assured of our continued prayers for you and for the parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Sister Patricia Pompa, M.P.F.
Provincial Superior.
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.
UPDATE ON FATHER YOUNG: As some of you know, on Holy Saturday afternoon Fr. Young had a very bad fall on the kitchen patio here at the Rectory. That landed him back in the hospital for two weeks. Thank God he saw marked improvement during that time. However, it also became clear that he needs to be in an environment where he is never alone and more of his needs can be provided for. So, Father is moving into assisted-living at Fairwinds here in Rio Rancho for at least the near future. They will be able to better provide for him as he faces a long and hard fight against cancer. Please keep Fr. Young in your prayers. I know we all miss his ministry here in the parish, and hope that he can soon return to us!
ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS "NORMAL" : Friends, do you remember the first days of the quarantine, when everything shut down? In those scary and lonely first days, our parish life hung upon the slender threads of two machines - the e-mail service on my laptop and the little camera that broadcast the daily Mass from our dining room. Back then I sent memos every day as we went through those dark times. As months went on, the need for the memos decreased.
So - instead of a weekly memo, we will be sending to all of you electronically the weekly bulletin on Saturday morning. Of course the first item in it will be my weekly "Pastor's Corner", so that you can continue to enjoy my wit and wisdom! :-)
But - I will still have the email at my disposal so that I can send you breaking news of the parish at a second's notice.
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...
“…Prayer, intimate dialogue with the One who is calling you to be his disciples, must come first. Be generous in your active life…and be deeply immersed in the contemplation of God’s mystery. Make the Eucharist the heart of your day." -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
HOW LONG, O LORD, HOW LONG ? Pray hard that this Thursday, our Governor will make Sandoval County "green". That way we can open up the church to 500 people and take down the chains! Thank you to everyone for being so patient with all this. Let's pray that the day of the end of all restrictions is soon coming!
MAY CROWNING: It's hard to believe that May - the month of our Blessed Mother - is almost here. So, as is our custom, on Saturday, May 1st, at 7 pm, we will have our traditional May Crowning celebration. We will have the Rosary, crowning of our Lady's statue, the prayer of consecration to our Lady, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Everyone is welcome to bring flowers to present to our Lady.
We have always had ice cream social for the kids after the May Crowning. Due to the virus, we will have a "drive-by" ice cream social after the service where the kids (and anyone else!) can pick up "ice cream to-go" ! Let's honor our dear Blessed Mother as we begin her special month!
UPCOMING WOMEN'S RETREAT: "Eve's Sorrow, Mary's Joy" will be this Saturday, April 24th, 8am to 2pm. Mary, the Second Eve through her obedience gave to us hope and joy through the birth of her Son, who died for our sins. Join us as we explore how we can overcome our sense of shame, guilt, and anxiety and experience the joy and happiness of Mary. The retreat will be COVID safe conducted via Zoom. To register go to the St. Thomas website and click on Grow and scroll to Adult Ministries.
A THANK YOU NOTE FROM THE FILIPPINI SISTERS:
Dear Monsignor Raun,
On behalf of the Religious Teachers Filippini, I want to extend my sincere appreciation to you and to the parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas for your very generous donation in the amount of $16,011.60 to our community for the Retirement Fund. Please know that the result of your parish efforts in raising funds for our Sisters was received with profound gratitude.......Be assured of our continued prayers for you and for the parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Sister Patricia Pompa, M.P.F.
Provincial Superior.
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.
UPDATE ON FATHER YOUNG: As some of you know, on Holy Saturday afternoon Fr. Young had a very bad fall on the kitchen patio here at the Rectory. That landed him back in the hospital for two weeks. Thank God he saw marked improvement during that time. However, it also became clear that he needs to be in an environment where he is never alone and more of his needs can be provided for. So, Father is moving into assisted-living at Fairwinds here in Rio Rancho for at least the near future. They will be able to better provide for him as he faces a long and hard fight against cancer. Please keep Fr. Young in your prayers. I know we all miss his ministry here in the parish, and hope that he can soon return to us!
ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS "NORMAL" : Friends, do you remember the first days of the quarantine, when everything shut down? In those scary and lonely first days, our parish life hung upon the slender threads of two machines - the e-mail service on my laptop and the little camera that broadcast the daily Mass from our dining room. Back then I sent memos every day as we went through those dark times. As months went on, the need for the memos decreased.
So - instead of a weekly memo, we will be sending to all of you electronically the weekly bulletin on Saturday morning. Of course the first item in it will be my weekly "Pastor's Corner", so that you can continue to enjoy my wit and wisdom! :-)
But - I will still have the email at my disposal so that I can send you breaking news of the parish at a second's notice.
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...
“…Prayer, intimate dialogue with the One who is calling you to be his disciples, must come first. Be generous in your active life…and be deeply immersed in the contemplation of God’s mystery. Make the Eucharist the heart of your day." -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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