Fr. Tom's Blog

Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. These words of Jesus in today’s Gospel sound very inviting. Jesus intended to spend time with his apostles as they returned from their missionary work. He was offering them the opportunity to get away from all the activity and reflect on their experience. But the people are hungry for more and continue to follow them. Jesus has pity on the crowd and acknowledges that they are like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus speaks from a place of abundant love for those God has put in his path. So he reaches out to them in their need. Jesus models for the apostles and for us that service to others is at the heart of discipleship. In the busyness of our lives, may we find quiet time with our Lord that will renew us for service.
 
This summer the “quiet” phase of our campaign, Celebrating our FAITH – Continuing our VISION, has been mostly focused on forming leadership groups and committees. Many of you expressed a willingness to help with different aspects of the campaign or were identified by others as potential leaders. As you are contacted, I hope you will say “yes” to sharing your gifts with the parish by being involved with the campaign. We will begin the formal phase of the campaign at the end of August when all parishioners will receive more detailed information and be contacted to participate. One great benefit of a campaign to address needed projects in the parish is that it also provides an opportunity to build community and strengthen our relationships with one another. We are blessed to share our faith together in such a wonderful parish.
 
We welcome Fr. David Baltz from the Comboni Missionaries to our parish this weekend. This is an opportunity for us to support the missionary work of the Church with a specific missionary community. Please be generous.
 
This Thursday, July 26, at 7:00 p.m., we welcome Bishop Johnston to our parish for a Diocesan Listening Session. This process will help the Bishop listen to the needs of the people of our diocese as he sets a vision for the future. Please join us in the Auditorium on Thursday.
 
While I hope you are enjoying some rest and relaxation during these summer months, it seems like the beginning of a new school year is just around the corner. Our parish grade school is an important ministry of our parish and requires significant support from our community. We are proud of the quality, Catholic education that our grade school provides. If you have children of grade school age (K-8) and are not currently enrolled at our school, I encourage you to contact the school for a tour or more information. The School Office will officially re-open on August 1, but messages can be left at any time. Please share the good news of our school with your family, friends, and neighbors. Many Blessings!  
 
 

The Gospel today is the story of Jesus sending the Twelve out two by two to preach the gospel message and bring the comfort and healing of God to others. Jesus instructs them not to get weighed down by belongings but to trust that he is with them and to be open to the hospitality of others. This missionary spirit that we hear about in the Gospel is a reminder that all of us are called to participate in the same work as the first disciples. While most of us may not see ourselves as natural missionaries or may not be comfortable going from town to town to spread the good news, especially without all our belongings, we can all do something to share the gift of faith with others. This is also at the heart of the evangelization message that has been the focus of the papacy of Pope Francis. We all have the ability to share our faith in meaningful ways, especially through our actions. Who can we share the goodness of God with today?
 
One of the ways we are asked to support the missionary spirit of the Church is by supporting the annual Missionary Appeal. Next weekend, Fr. David Baltz of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus will be at all the Masses to make an appeal on behalf of his community and the work they do around the world. They especially bring the good news of Jesus to the poor and abandoned. This is an important message for all of us to hear as there are critical situations happening in our country and many others that call us to reach out with compassion to the most vulnerable around us. There will be a second collection after Communion at each Mass. We ask that you please make any checks payable to Presentation as we will then forward one check to the Comboni Missionaries. Your generosity and support of the missions is appreciated.
 
Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Listening Session being held in our parish as part of the Visioning process for our diocese being implemented by Bishop Johnston. We will host the session on Thursday, July 26, at 7:00pm in the Auditorium. There are only 10 sessions being held throughout the diocese, so we are privileged to be one of the host sites. This is an opportunity to listen and also give input that will help set the direction of our parish in the years to come. Please attend if you are able and be a welcoming presence for those who will be joining us from other area parishes. Childcare will be available.
 
As we continue to prepare for our upcoming Campaign, the bulletin will include a section of Frequently Asked Questions. Please take time to read this section so you can stay informed and have some basic questions answered. The official kick-off for the Campaign will be the weekend of August 25-26.
Many Blessings!
 

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus’ famous line: A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house. Even Jesus experienced difficulty being heard and listened to by those closest to him. I think all of us can relate to this in our own families and in other groups to which we may belong. Those who thought they were familiar with Jesus could not imagine that such a great gift of teaching could come from someone they knew. Because of this lack of faith, Jesus’ family and neighbors cut themselves off from all that Jesus could bring to their lives. In what ways do we cut ourselves off from Jesus? In what ways do we cut ourselves off from those closest to us because we think we know them? May our faith open us up to a deeper relationship with Christ and one another.
 
As you may have seen on the south side of church or read about in the bulletin, we have recently received back into our possession the bell from the original St. Mary’s Church in Lee’s Summit which was later renamed Our Lady of the Presentation. A special thanks to Louis Bosso for his hard work over the years to bring the bell back to our parish. We will be deciding on a more permanent location for the bell and give it a proper blessing at that time.
 
The weekend of July 21-22 will be our annual Missionary Appeal from a missionary group assigned to us by the diocese. This year our parish has been assigned the Comboni Fathers and they will be making an appeal at all the Masses that weekend. Please consider supporting the missionary effort. You can find out more information about the Comboni Fathers in the bulletin.
 
Our diocese is undertaking a Visioning Process that begins with listening sessions at 10 parishes around the diocese. Bishop Johnston plans to attend each session. We have been asked to host a listening session on Thursday, July 26, at 7:00pm. The session will be held in the Auditorium and will be offered in English and Spanish. The diocese has hired a professional consulting group to facilitate the sessions. All are invited. Please take advantage of this opportunity to give input about the direction of our diocese and help our Bishop and diocesan leadership form a vision for the future.
 
As we move forward with the planning and preparation for our parish Campaign to address needed projects, we are excited to announce the theme and logo for the Campaign. The theme is Celebrating our FAITH – Continuing our VISION and the logo, which can be seen on the inside of this bulletin, captures the importance of these words while also using the image of the Cross with circle that is prominent in our worship space. With Faith, our Vision can become a reality!
Many Blessings!
 
 
 
    
 
 

This weekend’s Gospel contains two miracle stories of Jesus. He brings back to life the daughter of the synagogue official and through a simple touch he heals a woman who has suffered from a lengthy affliction. In both events, Jesus disregards the norms of his culture and crosses lines in order to offer his gift of healing. But for Jesus, healing is connected to faith. The father of the girl and the woman in need of healing are both strong examples of people putting their faith into action. And Jesus responds to them from this faith perspective. To the woman he says: Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction. To the synagogue official, who has gotten word his daughter died, Jesus says: Do not be afraid, just have faith. These stories remind us that through our faith in Christ miracles are always happening and that our fears can never overtake us if we have faith. May we find strength through our faith and always seek to put it into action.
 
Later this week, a group of 20 plus youth and adults from our parish will be leaving for the annual Youth Service Mission Trip. This year our group will be headed east to Hartford, CT to join with other youth from around the country to put their faith into action. They will participate in a variety of service projects to help members of the community. This is a great opportunity for our youth to grow in faith. The youth worked hard, especially by serving at our Lenten Fish Fries, to earn the privilege of joining the Mission Trip team. Thank you to everyone who supports the Fish Fries and to all the family, friends and parishioners who support our teens. Please keep our Mission Trip team in your prayers.
 
During the month of July, one of our parish service projects is our School Supply Drive to collect items for children in need so they will have the necessary supplies for the school year. Most of the donated items will be given to Lee’s Summit Social Services to provide school gift baskets to children in our area. Please take a tag and return all items by July 15.
 
This week marks an important holiday in our nation. As the people of the United States we give thanks on the observance of July 4^th for the freedoms we enjoy in this country and the many people who have helped shape our nation. As Christians, we also acknowledge God as the source of our blessings and pray for the strength to share our blessings so that others may be able to live freely. As citizens of this great nation, we also know it is our responsibility to never take for granted the blessings we have received. Please join us for a special 4^th of July holiday Mass at 9:00am this Wednesday. Have a blessed holiday. Many Blessings!