Given the reality that we are a large parish (over 700 registered families) with three Masses on the weekend which creates "three worship communities" in one, it is almost always the case that not every parishioner will be able to put a face or faces to the name or names of our V.I.P.'s for any given month. Fortunately, we have a pictorial directory that is helpful in this and other instances (as with a parishioner's death).
With regard to our V.I.P.s for the month of September, Jim and Patricia Goodson, I'll bet at least some of you can put a face to their names when I tell you they are the couple who often are color-coordinated in the clothes they wear to church with Patricia wearing a hat. Their coordination shows itself in many other ways (like their passion for the pro-life ministry) and the fact that they have shared their lives as husband and wife for 50 years! Throughout their years together, amid various moves (including to the island of Kauai in Hawaii) they got involved in parish life in the church communities they joined. Besides his life as a police officer in San Diego (for 14 years) and a real estate career, Jim also spearheaded as president of the parish council at St. William's Church in Hanalei, the challenging effort to rebuild and furnish that church after it sustained severe damage from Hurricane Iniki. Later he coordinated The Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Litchfield Park which included training over 200 E.M.s. At a growing parish, St. Henry in Buckeye, Arizona, he arranged for the acquisition of a rectory for the priest of that parish. It was there that he and Patricia were first involved in pro-life ministry which included prayer in front of the abortion clinic in Phoenix. Jim and Patricia carried this passion as well as their ministry as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to Sacred Heart Parish when they moved to Hot Springs Village in 2010. Health issues have forced both Jim and Patricia to reluctantly back off from these ministries, but they still rarely miss Mass on Saturday evenings and Jim, daily Mass as often as his health allows. For years they were both stalwarts when it came to participating in daily Mass here at Sacred Heart Church. Jim served as the pro-life director for the Knights of Columbus for 9 years and began the "Baby Bottle Campaign" which continues in our parish and provides needed funds for our area pregnancy help centers. Both Jim and Patricia served under the parish's pro-life committee under both Rosemary Monarque and then Mary Costello. For years they were faithful at attending the annual March for Life in Little Rock and the "Life-Chain" in downtown Hot Springs. Their commitment to pray for this and other causes inspired them to start and lead the annual "Rosary in the Public Square" that often took place outside of the Wal-Mart parking lot, and pray at the abortion clinic in Little Rock during the "40 Days for Life". They served a total of 40 years as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and Jim over 25 years as a lector at Mass. Jim has been a Knight of Columbus for over 25 years and Patricia has been in the St. Elizabeth Guild since she and Jim have lived in Hot Springs Village.
Please give thanks to God in your prayers this week for Jim and Patricia, our V.I.P.'s for September and thank them too personally if you are a Saturday evening Mass participant and see them (in their color-coordinated outfits)!
With regard to our V.I.P.s for the month of September, Jim and Patricia Goodson, I'll bet at least some of you can put a face to their names when I tell you they are the couple who often are color-coordinated in the clothes they wear to church with Patricia wearing a hat. Their coordination shows itself in many other ways (like their passion for the pro-life ministry) and the fact that they have shared their lives as husband and wife for 50 years! Throughout their years together, amid various moves (including to the island of Kauai in Hawaii) they got involved in parish life in the church communities they joined. Besides his life as a police officer in San Diego (for 14 years) and a real estate career, Jim also spearheaded as president of the parish council at St. William's Church in Hanalei, the challenging effort to rebuild and furnish that church after it sustained severe damage from Hurricane Iniki. Later he coordinated The Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Litchfield Park which included training over 200 E.M.s. At a growing parish, St. Henry in Buckeye, Arizona, he arranged for the acquisition of a rectory for the priest of that parish. It was there that he and Patricia were first involved in pro-life ministry which included prayer in front of the abortion clinic in Phoenix. Jim and Patricia carried this passion as well as their ministry as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to Sacred Heart Parish when they moved to Hot Springs Village in 2010. Health issues have forced both Jim and Patricia to reluctantly back off from these ministries, but they still rarely miss Mass on Saturday evenings and Jim, daily Mass as often as his health allows. For years they were both stalwarts when it came to participating in daily Mass here at Sacred Heart Church. Jim served as the pro-life director for the Knights of Columbus for 9 years and began the "Baby Bottle Campaign" which continues in our parish and provides needed funds for our area pregnancy help centers. Both Jim and Patricia served under the parish's pro-life committee under both Rosemary Monarque and then Mary Costello. For years they were faithful at attending the annual March for Life in Little Rock and the "Life-Chain" in downtown Hot Springs. Their commitment to pray for this and other causes inspired them to start and lead the annual "Rosary in the Public Square" that often took place outside of the Wal-Mart parking lot, and pray at the abortion clinic in Little Rock during the "40 Days for Life". They served a total of 40 years as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and Jim over 25 years as a lector at Mass. Jim has been a Knight of Columbus for over 25 years and Patricia has been in the St. Elizabeth Guild since she and Jim have lived in Hot Springs Village.
Please give thanks to God in your prayers this week for Jim and Patricia, our V.I.P.'s for September and thank them too personally if you are a Saturday evening Mass participant and see them (in their color-coordinated outfits)!