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A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR: Exciting News on Horizon as 2022 Off to a Great Start
Dear Parishioners,
We are off to a great start to 2022 at the parish. Our stewardship efforts continue to bear fruit in the spiritual lives of our people, and also towards the growth of our parish. We recently crossed two milestones. We are over 900 registered households (922 to be exact), and we have paid down our debt to under $1 million. These are positive signs of the strength of our parish and show great potential for the future.
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Speaking of the future, Lent is on the horizon. As we have in previous years, we’ll be offering the Stations of the Cross devotion each Friday along with a Friday evening dinner following Stations. The only exception will be the celebratory nature of March 11, the fourth anniversary of the dedication of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. It falls on a Friday of Lent, so it will be a little different. Stay tuned for more details.
Also helping us plan for the future is the Parish Pastoral Council. Led by Steve Nelson, the PPC offers me critical advice and direction as we plan for the years ahead and work to tackle present issues. Should we start a Catholic school? How should we best handle COVID? What should we do with the old St. Francis Xavier church after St. John’s opens their new building and moves out? How are we doing on our 10-year mission and vision plan? Those are some of the big questions the PPC is working to answer. I am grateful for every member and their dedication in coming to our early Saturday morning meetings!
Finally, we’re pleased to offer an update on our new friends from Afghanistan who have come to Stillwater. First and foremost, pray for these men, women, and children. They have been uprooted from their homeland and brought to the United States for their own safety. These last months have been difficult. What a gift God has given us to be able to help them. Stillwater is a great place to be, and they find that out day by day. These individuals and families are a gift to this community, and their generosity has made it possible to make a home here at our parish. A special thanks to Mike FitzGerald of Stillwater Catholic Charities and his team. They have done an amazing job thus far. Have a great month ahead!
In Christ,
Very Rev. Brian O’Brien Pastor, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
Very Rev. Brian O’Brien Pastor, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
