AN EVENTFUL “NEW” YEAR

 

September is traditionally the unofficial beginning of the year for parishes.  The lazy days of summer are past.  The parish calendar has been filling up!  As we look forward to the fall and winter, I am excited about bringing back the normal events that we were unable to have last year due to the pandemic, and look forward to the beginning of some new things.

            Nothing is more important than our ministry with young people.  Assumption BVM School is off to a good start with solid enrollment and a plan for some capital improvements to the building which we hope can begin soon.  We have almost 200 students enrolled in our Catholic Youth Faith Formation (aka PREP or CCD) which offers parents the option to have their children meet for class in the Parish Life Center once a week or to teach them at home with the guidance of our dedicated catechists.  We are also looking forward to returning to the Children’s Liturgy of the Word as part of the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass, beginning September 19 for children ages 4 to 7.  Parents will drop them off in the Parish Life Center for a presentation of the Sunday readings at their age level.  After the Prayer of the Faithful the children will rejoin their parents to worship together during the Eucharistic sacrifice.

             Something new will be the Southern Chester County Catholic Youth Group.  It will kick off on Sunday, September 26.  It is sponsored by Assumption BVM, Sacred Heart and St. Patrick Parishes.  We have a core group in place of dedicated parents from each parish and have registered with Life Teen, a successful program for youth in parishes across the country.  It includes four aspects: spiritual, social, learning, and service.  We have also reorganized the youth sports program and are calling it ABVM Regional CYO, since it has merged with the CYOs of Sacred Heart and St. Patrick.  By coming together we can offer more opportunities and better competition for our youth.  Another new event will be a Bible Study for 7^th and 8^th grade girls beginning in October called “Blaze.”  It is an offshoot of the “Walking With Purpose” Bible Study for women that has been so popular with our parishioners and will start up again on September 21 and 22. 

            An event which is returning is the ABVM Parish Picnic which will be held on Saturday, September 18^th.  It will include food, games, pony rides, a live band, other fun activities, and plenty of time for Christian fellowship, which we missed so much last year.  We also look forward to the return of the popular Bingo Night and Octoberfest, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, the annual Seniors Christmas Dinner on December 5, and Night at the Races, sponsored by ABVM School.  One thing the pandemic did not shut down last year, for which the organizers and volunteers should be very proud, is the Christmas Basket Program which benefitted some two hundred families.  We look forward to helping disadvantaged families celebrate Christmas again this year.

            Of course, the most important thing we do together as a parish is to worship the Lord, since according to Canon Law, “the Most Holy Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful” (CIC #528).  All that we do as a parish draws from the grace we receive in celebrating Holy Mass.  It is the Mass that unites us as one family in Christ.  It fills us with the divine love we need to relate to each other as brothers and sisters, and to bring the good news to the poor.  I ask the Lord to allow everyone to enjoy Labor Day, and hope that you can carve out some time for relaxation before an eventful “new” year begins!     

FATHER SCOTT