World Marriage Day will be celebrated this year on 11/12 February at all Masses, and we will produce a bulletin insert acknowledging those couples who are celebrating a special 5-year anniversary in 2023. Please complete the form included in the bulletin and return it to the Parish Office (or complete the form on our parish website) by Monday 6 February if you would like to be acknowledged in this special celebration of marriage.
This week we join the national observance of Catholic Schools Week. To begin the week, students from local Catholic Schools are serving in various ministries at the 11:00 AM Mass this weekend. We celebrate these educational institutions who strive to integrate a faith perspective into all aspects of student life, and we give thanks for the sacrifice many parents make to afford the tuition at these schools. The monthly 2nd collection for Catholic School Education goes directly to the Frederick County Tuition Assistance Fund to assist families in financial need.
Many of our parishioners have received a mail solicitation regarding the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries. Our parish is part of a larger Church, and the Appeal is one way that we demonstrate our participation in that Archdiocesan and even broader worldwide faith community. If the brochure is sitting on your desk at home, please take a moment to complete the donation form and help us reach our parish goal. It has meant a lot that we reached our parish goal the last few years—thanks to all who make this happen!
As we continue to resuscitate parish life from the effects of the pandemic, we are starting ticket sales this weekend for the Drexel Mardi Gras (which was cancelled last year.) The successor to the Drexel Ball, this event funds our parish scholarship fund, and the scholarships associated with the Drexel Essay Contest each year. I hope you will consider joining the fun.
It was good to be away, and great to be back!
