Dear Friends in Christ:

This week the priests of the Archdiocese are on their annual retreat at the Holy Spirit Center in Anchorage. I will try to keep our daily Mass schedule as normal as possible. Please pray for our priests and for more vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and lay ecclesial ministers.

Just a word of thanks to all those who assisted with the Serra International convention this weekend, especially to our musicians. On Labor Day, September 6th, please join us at 10:00 am for a Blessing and dedication of our healing garden. There will be a living rosary said prior to our 11:00 am Mass followed by lunch. All are welcome.

Labor Day should not just be seen as the last day of Summer or an extra day off. Labor is one of the ways in which in imitate God as God himself worked for the first six days of creation. What we labor at should be a source of pride in addition to just a job.

Please also have on your calendars an evening of reflection for all liturgical ministers, priests, deacons, Lectors, Servers, Eucharistic Ministers, Hospitality Ministers, etc. on Thursday, September 30th at 6:30 pm. I would like to take about a half an hour on formation issues, especially issues facing the changes to be made in the liturgy beginning in Advent 2011. Then we will be in ministry specific groups to see what is working and what might need adjustment. As the Mass is the most important task that we do, we do need a really good turn-out for this.

This coming Friday, our parish staff will cease laboring for the day as we will be having a special day of reflection away from St. Andrew's Church. So, if you have any church business that needs to be taken care of, please do so on Thursday at the latest.

May God Bless all of you as we give thanks for the beauty of creation, especially at this time.

Fr. Thomas Brundage
Pastor