From Fr. Griffith - Mid-Year Letter to our Parishioners and Friends

July 1, 2021
+ Feast of St. Junipero Serra, Priest
Dear Friends in Christ,
On July 1, 1767, Franciscan priest, Junipero Serra began his missionary work in California where he ended up founding nine missions along the California coast. With a love for the Lord and the Catholic faith and with zeal for the mission to which he was called, Serra helped evangelize this great nation. St. Junipero Serra was canonized by Pope Francis in Washington D.C. in 2015.

Today, as our nation prepares to celebrate its independence and founding and as we grapple with the harm of a global pandemic, polarization, and persistent injustice, Catholics have been called by Pope Francis to dream of a new future, where equipped with the love of God, we can help build a society marked by fraternity and charity. Catholics and Catholic parishes must, with creativity and courage, meet this moment and the call to help heal and re-evangelize our nation and world.

As we closed our fiscal year June 30 and have arrived at the mid-point of the calendar year, I wanted to update you on a number of developments important to our collective life at Our Lady of Lourdes. Some of the items below touch on the practical and administrative side of the parish, while others pertain to our spiritual life and the Catholic faith we share.

First, yesterday was a challenging day as we said goodbye and thank you to three staff members who have worked well over the years to build up our community at Lourdes. As part of a necessary staff reorganization and in furtherance of better aligning our fiscal resources with our mission and future, parish leadership made the hard decision of eliminating three staff positions, in financial administration, general administration, and facilities and maintenance.

These decisions followed upon the earlier move in the area of clergy expenses, where we decided that the position of part-time parochial vicar could not be sustained financially into this present fiscal year. I thank Jennifer Wenzel, Hazel Jordan, Jared Ash, and Fr. Bryce Evans for their good work and contributions to our life together at Lourdes. In particular, I thank Jared Ash with whom I have worked well for almost nine years on improving our parish grounds, buildings, and in helping to facilitate the interior renovation of the church. Volunteer assistance from parishioners in the above areas of responsibility as well as the use of several senior clergy who will assist at daily and weekend Masses made these necessary changes possible.

We also say goodbye and thank you to Christine Griffith as she enjoys retirement and her new grandchildren. Christine did an outstanding job building a first-class marriage ministry and in helping in the areas of baptism and preparation for funerals. With Christine’s retirement, we warmly welcome Carol Burns who begins today her new position of Director of Sacraments and Formation. Carol brings to her new work at Lourdes a wealth of experience and education in parish ministry and Catholic theology. We are blessed indeed to have her join the Lourdes team.

Secondly, regarding the Eucharist which stands as the source and summit of our Catholic faith, we are starting to see more and more parishioners and friends return to Mass. Please note that Archbishop Hebda has reinstated, effective this weekend, the obligation for Catholics to participate in Sunday Eucharist, which can be fulfilled on Saturday evening or Sunday. We will continue to livestream the 10 am Sunday Mass. Thanks for your patience as we transition from Josh Zenner’s excellent livestream to a new permanent system with fixed cameras.

This summer parish leadership will discern a slight shift in the Mass schedule for the fall and we may survey parishioners for your thoughts as well. There are no plans to add a fourth weekend Mass at this time. The Lourdes Healing Ministry continues to meet regularly to dialogue about how best to meet the spiritual needs of parishioners, particularly those in need of healing and accompaniment. To this end, I will celebrate a special healing Mass, Wednesday August 4th at 5 p.m., which will include the sacrament of anointing. All are welcome!

Third, Dean Robert Vischer recently announced to the St. Thomas law school community a new Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing (IRJH) which will be housed in the law school. I will serve at the founding director of IRJH and Lourdes parishioner, Julie Craven will serve, pro bono, as associate director. Lourdes parishioner and UST law colleague, Hank Shea will serve, pro bono, as a fellow of the Initiative. IRJH will have a three-fold focus of helping to name and heal the harm that comes from institutional and leadership failures, racial injustice, and polarization through the use of restorative practices. We have been hard at work this summer putting together our leadership team and board of advisors and look forward to an early September launch event of the Initiative. I ask for your prayers for this important and timely work.

Lastly, I call your attention to upcoming events this summer and the shift of our annual block party to the fall. For a number of reasons, including a lack of available volunteers, the fall date for our block party made more sense and will now be accompanied by an Octoberfest theme. Please join us Sunday, August 15 at 3 p.m. as we dedicate the new Ralph Strangis Memorial Pipe Organ at Lourdes. Archbishop Hebda will be present for the blessing and dedication. If you are in town this Sunday, please come and join Bishop Richard Pates as he presides and preaches at the 10 am Mass. Bishop Pates is the bishop emeritus of the Des Moines diocese and a former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. A reception in the courtyard will follow Mass.

Thanks for your attentiveness and patience as I needed to cover important ground above. Thanks also to all of our parishioners and friends for your continued support of and presence at this fine parish. As always, together we call on the fruitful intercession of our patron, Notre Dame de Lourdes to help build and sustain a bright and vibrant future.
Gratefully in Christ,

Fr. Daniel Griffith