PASTOR’S CORNER

Last weekend was a busy time at St. Aloysius. The final “batch” of First Holy Communicants, received the Holy Eucharist for the first time. The joy of the Communicants and the pride of their parents & extended families beamed throughout the church and campus. Both the children and their parents worked hard to prepare for this stage in their spiritual life. I want to especially express my gratitude to Mrs. Zwolak, Mrs. Schmidt, Mrs. McShane, and Mr. Rusiewicz the teachers and catechist, who worked conscientiously in preparing these boys & girls. Boys & Girls, the people of St. Aloysius parish rejoice that you can now participate fully in the celebration of the Eucharist with them. We hope that the Eucharist will become for you, what it is for us, the center of our lives. Also last weekend, Pastoral Council hosted a Wine & Cheese following the Saturday evening Mass and Coffee & Donuts following the each of the Sunday Masses. We were all ready to host this outside, with a modest tent; but the weather turned foul, and so we moved it inside, within the Library. It was an attempt to familiarize you with the members of the Pastoral Council, as well as give you an opportunity to ask questions or offer comments as parishioners. Finally, there was the Open House of the PC {Parish Center}! The renovation of this building represents the first phase of our Building Projects and we are not only glad it is completed, but happy to make it available for your use. Over 400 parishioners walked through the building and were impressed. People were not only pleased with what they saw, but proud of it. They had a chance to see how serious we are about the future of our parish and what they can expect in terms of the quality of the future Gathering Area! Finally, I want to express my gratitude to those faculty members of our school, whose classrooms and Library were used as meeting places for the various parish groups, during the renovation of the PC. Although these spaces are property of the parish, they are also the work place of these women. You know what it can be like when someone is using “your stuff”? They were very gracious throughout this time and with our numerous requests. I am very grateful for their cooperation.

Your Brother in Christ,

Father Walter J. Benn

Frederick Browning

Husband of Barbara

Father of Scott Browning & Sandra Benner

CATHOLIC CHARITIES APPEAL

There is no such thing as a small gift to the Catholic Charities Appeal.  Every contribution to the Appeal is greatly appreciated and is an affirmation of the programs that concretely express the belief in the inherent value of every human life and the dignity of every individual.

As Pope Benedict XVI noted in his encyclical God Is Love, “The Church is God’s family in the world.  In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life.”

Please give generously to the 2008 Catholic Charities Appeal!  Almost 250,000 people annually in the five counties of the Archdiocese are served by programs supported by the Appeal.  In you would like make a contribution or for more information, please call (215) 587-3651 or visit www.catholiccharitiesappeal.org .