A few weeks ago, before Mass, a young man in his twenties approached me and asked, “Can I sit anywhere?” The unusual question confused me for a moment, and then he added, “This is my first time here.” After Mass, he explained that he was baptized but was never raised in the Faith. Now, he was searching for a relationship with God. His story is not an isolated one. Last year at the Easter Vigil, we baptized and welcomed into the Church many men and women who were longing for closeness with the Lord. Already this year, we are preparing a whole new group of men and women–so many of them in their late teens, twenties, and thirties–to receive the Sacraments at Easter. It is incredibly exciting to witness the Holy Spirit at work in the life of our parish community. One of the great things I have come to appreciate about St. Patrick Parish is that the people here actually want new people! Sometimes parishes settle into a “We always did it this way” mentality that wants only to keep the status quo and is never looking to grow and welcome others. I see a true missionary spirit in the people here. There are so many opportunities in this parish for parishioners to deepen their Faith, but also for those who are perhaps on the peripheries of Faith to test the waters. The people here have a genuine desire to help others to experience the joy that only comes from closeness to the Lord. It brings me such great joy to see not only all of the things that are happening in this parish, but also to see how many people are responding to them. We are really blessed as a parish. If you look at the weekly parish bulletin, you will see that we have abundant opportunities to encounter the Lord and to be part of a true faith community. As a parish priest, it is really a source of deep joy to see the Lord at work and to be surprised by what He is doing. It is also my responsibility, along with the Parish Finance Council, to oversee the financial health of the parish. We are a big parish. Our buildings and grounds are in constant need of repairs, improvements, and replacements. In addition to the urgent need to replace most of our HVAC units, we still need to address ongoing issues with the frames of our stained-glass windows and do extensive work on the steeple and facade of the church’s old main entrance. Together, these projects will likely cost well over $1,000,000. All of this must be done while we continue our regular parish operations, including salaries and benefits, regular maintenance, utilities, and all our ministries. Without the added expenses of those major ticket items, our operating budget is around $ 1.5 million. We can do a lot as a parish because our parishioners are not consumers or spectators. You don’t sit back and expect others to provide for the parish's needs. You are generous with both your financial support and your time. People who are searching for a new relationship or a deeper relationship with the Lord are able to come here and be spiritually fed because of your generosity. While the parish facilities will always require our attention, I hope our focus will increasingly shift toward providing an even more robust missionary outreach to those who are not here. Jesus wants us to preach the Gospel to everyone. That is our mission. A major portion of our income arises from the Grand Annual Collection. I ask that all of you please make a generous commitment to this collection. It would be great if every registered family, if they can afford it, could donate $500 toward the Grand Annual Collection. If you can give more, all the better. If you cannot afford that much, any gift is needed and is absolutely appreciated. I have already made my contribution, so I am not asking you to do anything that I have not done myself! The Lord is doing something beautiful in this parish. Let us all do our part! Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes