Dear Friends in Christ,
Well, we got in our Carnival! Thank you to the Lord, Our Lady, St. Agnes, St. Jude and St. Madard! Thursday was not the best night; we grew on Friday and Saturday was fantastic. It was so great to see so many parishioners and to be visited by those outside our community. We do not know our numbers yet, but we will announce that soon enough. Thank you to our wonderful Carnival Committee who did double duty this year. Anna O’Toole oversaw the committee under the guidance of Father Kennedy with Tim Farrell organizing the beer/food garden along with the Knights of Columbus, who as usual, were in full force and involved on every level. Dan McHugh set the tone for the three days with great music. Our food court was wonderful along with that famous staple funnel cake. Father Rene brought a small army of workers from Saint Jude’s to offer our wonderful Latino foods. A mis queridos amigos de la comunidad de St. Jude, les agradezco y agradezco su trabajo en el Carnaval. Sé que sacrificaste tiempo e incluso tu horario de trabajo para participar en el Carnaval. La comida fue excelente y su servicio alegre es un bello ejemplo cristiano. Dios te bendiga y que la Santísima Virgen María, Nuestra Reina, te cuide siempre. ¡Viva St. Jude! What could we do without our volunteers, the police and scouts cleanup crew? A huge thank you to Norberto, Lou and Ron for all you did to get ready and to take down the Carnival. A visitor told me that he noted a family atmosphere at our Carnival that is not always seen at other events. I believe it reflects the great spirituality that I see in our parish, the willingness to serve in imitation of Jesus and the joy that radiates from those who are disciples of Jesus Christ. God bless and protect our parish and may we live the Gospel with fidelity so that Our Lady of Hope parish will be a sanctuary of holiness and light to our community. Please remember, while the revenue from our social events is essential to our service to you, know that more importantly is the building up of our parish family and giving glory to God in all that we do. In the earliest days of the Church, it was said of the Christian community, “See how they love one another!” May this be seen in the faithful of Our Lady of Hope Parish.
God bless you,
Father Szolack