From Father Griffith: Our shared lives - in our country and in our parish

Dear Friends in Christ,
As we now have entered back into ordinary time, I write to you with mixed emotions. In the United States these are anything but ordinary times. Conversely, below I announce a number of positive developments in the life of Our Lady of Lourdes. I appreciate your attentive patience as I provide necessary details regarding the state of our parish and recent positive news.

Our country is mired in an unprecedented season of discontent and social unrest. Like all of you, I was saddened and shocked by the brutal and violent attack on the U.S. Capitol last week, including the loss of life. The peaceful transition of power and the rule of law are hallmarks of our republican democracy and consistent with the goals of Catholic social teaching to promote justice and the common good. As Catholic citizens of the United States, we can do three things of meaning in response: commit to lives of holiness and civic virtue; build bridges to a more just and peaceful society and pray for national healing. I have written a separate article for my blog which explores, in more depth, origins of our present moment.

Regarding prayer, I ask all parishioners to join me and Fr. Evans in praying a weekly rosary for national healing. You can pray along with the recorded rosary on our website at 12:05 on Mondays or at a time most convenient for you and your family. I ask that we pray through the intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception – patroness of the United States. I also ask that we include all those affected by COVID-19 in our weekly rosary. My request is for us to
pray this rosary until Easter, and perhaps beyond.

Our shared life at Our Lady of Lourdes, while not without its challenges in this time of a global pandemic, enjoys a much healthier culture and indeed a bright future. To this end, I am very excited to announce plans for a new pipe organ at Lourdes in memory of our late friend and long-time parish trustee, Ralph Strangis. I am most grateful to Grace Strangis, Ralph’s beloved spouse and faithful parishioner, who is fully funding the project in Ralph’s memory. It is fitting that Hofstede Hall will soon be accompanied by the Ralph Strangis Memorial Pipe Organ – honoring these two great men, who were also terrific trustees.

Please see the attached story about the pipe organ, which was originally designed for Our Lady of Lourdes during the pastorate of Fr. William Ward. Fr. Ward died unexpectedly after Tim Patterson began the initial design and beginning steps toward building the instrument.
Notwithstanding its high quality and aesthetic beauty, the organ never found a home and the fact that this opportunity has come back around to Our Lady of Lourdes after many years is nothing short of providence.

To our parish trustees and finance council, Dr. Jacob Benda said, “this new organ is a perfect match for Our Lady of Lourdes. Aesthetically, it complements the noble simplicity and beauty of our church. Acoustically, the French sound-design resonates with our French-Canadian heritage. Spiritually, it will support our worship of God.” I thank Dr. Benda for his diligence and expertise in examining several organ options over the last number of months and his practical wisdom in evaluating and recommending the Patterson pipe organ for Lourdes.

Upon final approval of the transaction by the archdiocese, we will begin dismantling the current organ with the realistic hope of a late spring/early summer installation of the new organ, with final voicing to be done over the summer months. We are excited about the prospect of a late summer dedication and recital to celebrate the new Ralph Strangis Memorial Pipe Organ. Once again, many thanks to Grace Strangis for her extraordinary generosity in helping us soon realize a long hoped for dream at Lourdes. This page on our parish website will be updated with more information as the project progresses.

Another recent positive development for the parish was the purchase of a townhome that will serve as the parish rectory. This purchase, which was approved by the archdiocese, parish trustees and the finance council, occurred last fall, with a late November closing. For some time, I had believed that our current housing costs for the apartment adjacent to the parish were not financially sustainable or prudent. This townhome represents a doubling of space and an approximate monthly savings of $1,000 in clergy housing costs. What is more, the parish is building equity with this purchase and pays no property taxes. Three years ago, Lourdes netted nearly $100,000 on  Northeast, which helped us make a substantial down payment on this home. The balance of the mortgage is financed through 21st Century Bank, at a very competitive rate. The sale of the town home was $307,500, which is approximately $7,500 below the median sales the Twin Cities. The home is located in a quiet development just east of Hwy 280 in Lauderdale. It is 3 miles from Lourdes and only a seven-minute drive – six if I push it! With 2,000 square feet, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, the home if big enough to accommodate an additional priest, should future circumstances necessitate. I am in the home now and very much enjoying the peace and quiet and the additional space which allows for both a home office, chapel and guest suite.

Regarding liturgy and parish programming, I am thankful that we are able to continue our high quality live streamed Mass Sundays at 10:00 a.m. which is accompanied by beautiful sacred music. Fr. Evans is faithfully shepherding a number of candidates through the RCIA process and I am shepherding an additional 4 prospective candidates via zoom. This will likely be the largest group coming into full communion with the Catholic Church in recent memory at Lourdes. Fr. Evans and I noted that this is a sign of hope indeed in these troubled times. Our St. Anthony Sessions will resume soon. We have a terrific lineup of local, regional and national speakers who will help form, inspire and challenge us in building a more just and peaceful society.

Lastly, I am very thankful to those parishioners and friends who really stepped up financially and helped us close the gap between our budgeted and actual giving. The second quarter of fiscal 20/21 saw a notable increase in giving, in part due to the generous 25K match that was initiated by a parish couple (which inspired an additional 29,000+ in giving) and multiple generous year-end gifts. While this has put the parish on better financial footing, the third and fourth quarters of the fiscal year will be challenging as we continue to face the daunting reality of a COVID-related decrease in Sunday giving. If we all continue to meet this financial challenge with generosity and commitment, Lourdes will be well poised for future ministry from a solid foundation.

In summary, while the state of our country remains sadly fractured and wounded, the state and future of Our Lady of Lourdes remains strong. I am most thankful to God, to our patroness, Our Lady of Lourdes, and to you for this grace-filled reality. May God abundantly bless all of you.
Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Daniel Griffith