January 28, 2024

Dear Friends in Christ,

January 28^th begins the annual “Catholic Schools Week,” our chance to celebrate the mission of forming students in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Our own beloved ASB School summarizes the mission of Catholic Schools this way: We are Inspired to Learn. Called to Serve. Prepared to lead.


Catholic Social Teaching is at the heart of the curriculum in Catholic Schools. One of the Seven Principles of CST in our parish hall is Solidarity which proposes that “We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. We must stand with one another always.”
Opportunities to grow in solidarity with others sometimes come in unexpected and even unwanted ways. Such an opportunity came my way last week when I came down with a nasty case of the Influenza-A Virus. I have not had the flu in over 40 years, so I confess it was something difficult to accept. Yet it gave me the opportunity to remember that as humans we are all vulnerable to sickness and injury. I am blessed with generally good health and the resources to deal with sickness and pain. Too many in our world do not. Part of our character as a Christian community is our readiness to see the face of Christ in those who are sick or injured and to be in solidarity with them as they suffer.

One of the ways we do that as a parish is through our Camillus Ministers. These are trained caregivers who minister to families at nearby Children’s Medical Center. They visit and pray with them, bring them holy communion, and offer a compassionate presence to families who are often dealing with serious medical conditions for their children. We are blessed by the generosity of these ministers, most of whom have been serving for many years. We need more.
Please consider joining our Camillus Ministry. It’s an outreach that we will surely be sharing with the family of parishes that we will soon be joining. Plans are underway to offer a new training program for this important ministry. Stay tuned for more information. As always, let us know someone who is sick that you would like us to pray for at Mass.

Blessings of healing and peace,

Fr. William Heric, Pastor

p.s. Christine Kelly, who has worked in our office the last couple of years has resigned to take another job. Please join me in thanking Christine for her service and wishing her well in her new position. She and her family will remain members of St. Bridget Parish which is good news for all of us!