Religious Education Programs Resume

09-16-2018Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

We welcome the children and teachers in our Religious Education Programs back from the summer break. Classes started during the week for all grades. I look forward to your support and participation in the R.E. activities throughout this coming year.

Memorial Mass

I would like to remind everyone that we have scheduled a Memorial Mass for Fr. Bob on Thursday, September 20 at 7 pm here in our church. Please come and join us as we celebrate the life of our beloved pastor. Fr. Bob's body arrived in Uganda on Sunday, September 9th and a Funeral Mass was held for him the following day. The family informed me that everything went well with the funeral. They also sent their appreciation for your prayers and support to Fr. Bob.

Addressing the Sex Scandals in the Church

I received a number of questions, comments and suggestions during the past few weeks concerning the recent sex scandals involving priests and bishops in the Church. While some of our parishioners felt they were tired of hearing me talking repeatedly on this issue, others felt that I have not said enough about it, while still others felt that we should do something rather than just expressing our feelings about the situation. I appreciate all the feedback, questions and suggestions. I agree that addressing the current situation will have to involve both speaking out and doing something about it at our own level. Nearly all the concerns raised during the past weeks boil down to two main questions: What is the Church doing to address the current crises, and what can we do, individually and at our parish level?

To address these concerns, we will be holding a Parish Listening Session on Saturday, October 6 from 10 am to 12 noon. This will bring our parishioners together for a moment of prayer and fruitful discussion where we can listen to one another as we seek a way forward.

Our discussions will focus on four main areas:

1. What is the church doing to prevent, and ensure, that further abuse in any form will not be repeated or tolerated in the Church again?
2. What is the church doing to heal the victims of abuse?
3. What is the church doing to inves gate the crimes, ensuring that predators are held accountable?
4. What is the church doing to restore trust in the Church?

Please think about these ques ons and plan to a end as we work our way through to healing.

Thank You and Remain Blessed,
Fr. James