From th
e Pastor’s Desk
Each year the parishes of the Diocese of St. Augustine are assigned a specific group to come to the parish and share the story of their missionary work in the world. Next Sunday, Father Thomas Hagan, the founder of Hands Together, a Catholic missionary group working in Haiti, will be tell us how they work with to assist the people there with immediate day-to-day necessities, but also to bring the Gospel of God’s love to many in need of healing and comfort.
I would encourage you in the days ahead to familiarize yourself with the great work that Hands Together does for the people of Haiti. You can access their website by going to www.handstogether.org.
Father Tom Hagan will preach at all Masses the weekend of July 16 and 17. He will ask for not only our prayerful support but our financial assistance, too. So there will be a second collection at all Masses. If you plan to contribute by check, please make the check payable to “Cathedral Parish” with a note on the check that it is for “Hands Together.”
Pope Francis in his “Message for World Mission Sunday” this year reminds us:
“Mercy finds its most noble and complete expression in the Incarnate Word…. This merciful love, as in the early days of the Church, is witnessed to by many men and women of every age and condition.”
The missionaries who give of themselves via Hands Together certainly accomplish this. Please be as generous as you can be in your offering to them next week.
Love,
Father Tom