I normally use my pastor's column on the Second Sunday of Easter to thank all those who were involved in a variety of liturgical ministries for the Easter Triduum for all the time that they put in to making the Triduum a wonderful blessing to all who participated in it.
I am doing this "thank you" early this year because our V.I.P. for the month of April has put in extra time with me in preparing for the music part of the Triduum and was deeply involved in the music of all the liturgies of the Triduum. I am speaking about Noreen Mode who has been a wonderful addition to our liturgical music volunteers for a number of years. Besides playing her guitar regularly at our 4:00 p.m. Mass, she is a cantor at all the Masses and sings in both weekend choirs and the Resurrection choir. Needless to say, she has musical talents and is ready and willing to use them in a variety of ways for the glory of God and to assist the congregation in singing the hymns and psalms that the Church gives us throughout the year. Besides all the time she gives at our liturgies, I also know that she and our other musicians not only spend time in practices at church, but also in their homes preparing for the liturgies. While I really don't and can't appreciate all the time that Noreen and others give for this ministry, I do know that the final product of her and their efforts blesses us greatly! Outside of the MANY Masses she participates in with her musical gifts, Noreen and her husband Bruce have been involved in Samaritan Ministry meals to feed homeless men at that facility in Hot Springs. She belongs to Guild 2 of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart and is involved in their activities including the recent Passion/Palm Sunday bake sale to raise money for their charitable endeavors. She also visits the sick at Lake Forest (formerly Good Sam's) and is strengthened in her commitment to the Lord through prayer at home and at church, including time spent in our Eucharistic adoration chapel. Since the reality is that we have relatively few parishioners involved in our music ministry in proportion to our overall parish population, I really consider Noreen and others who participate "invaluable" in helping make our liturgies what the Church calls on them to be! THANK YOU, Noreen and God bless you.
Finally, to the rest of our music ministers, our lectors, ushers, altar servers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and our sacristans, especially our head sacristan, Mark Lukasavige AND our decorating committee (headed by Sandy Darnell) and our drapes committee (headed by Marie Hylden) I say "GOD BLESS YOU ALL" in what you did in the time leading up to and during our Easter Triduum liturgies. You are the BEST at what you did and do!
I am doing this "thank you" early this year because our V.I.P. for the month of April has put in extra time with me in preparing for the music part of the Triduum and was deeply involved in the music of all the liturgies of the Triduum. I am speaking about Noreen Mode who has been a wonderful addition to our liturgical music volunteers for a number of years. Besides playing her guitar regularly at our 4:00 p.m. Mass, she is a cantor at all the Masses and sings in both weekend choirs and the Resurrection choir. Needless to say, she has musical talents and is ready and willing to use them in a variety of ways for the glory of God and to assist the congregation in singing the hymns and psalms that the Church gives us throughout the year. Besides all the time she gives at our liturgies, I also know that she and our other musicians not only spend time in practices at church, but also in their homes preparing for the liturgies. While I really don't and can't appreciate all the time that Noreen and others give for this ministry, I do know that the final product of her and their efforts blesses us greatly! Outside of the MANY Masses she participates in with her musical gifts, Noreen and her husband Bruce have been involved in Samaritan Ministry meals to feed homeless men at that facility in Hot Springs. She belongs to Guild 2 of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart and is involved in their activities including the recent Passion/Palm Sunday bake sale to raise money for their charitable endeavors. She also visits the sick at Lake Forest (formerly Good Sam's) and is strengthened in her commitment to the Lord through prayer at home and at church, including time spent in our Eucharistic adoration chapel. Since the reality is that we have relatively few parishioners involved in our music ministry in proportion to our overall parish population, I really consider Noreen and others who participate "invaluable" in helping make our liturgies what the Church calls on them to be! THANK YOU, Noreen and God bless you.
Finally, to the rest of our music ministers, our lectors, ushers, altar servers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and our sacristans, especially our head sacristan, Mark Lukasavige AND our decorating committee (headed by Sandy Darnell) and our drapes committee (headed by Marie Hylden) I say "GOD BLESS YOU ALL" in what you did in the time leading up to and during our Easter Triduum liturgies. You are the BEST at what you did and do!