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Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord:
This weekend we welcome Father Joseph R. Dean, SCJ, a
priest of the Sacred Heart. Father Dean took his first vows in September
of 1966 and was ordained in June of 1984. He was a teacher of Church
History at Sacred Heart School of Theology at Hales Corners, WI, which
is close to Milwaukee. Father Dean has been conducting parish missions
since 1993. Please extend to Father Dean our hospitality and a warm
welcome.
Lent is a particularly good time for a mission. The
season by its very nature lends itself to reflection and introspection.
But what is a mission? Father Dean writes:
A parish mission is a time to
hear good news, a time of surprising grace. During the mission we have
a chance to take a deeper look at Jesus and at our own lives. The second
look shows us that sin; tragedy and death do get the last word. God’s
last word is Jesus Christ himself. Naturally, the mission is for
everybody, for ordinary people,nobody is excluded. Everyone is welcome.
During a mission, the Gospel shows who we are, what our life is like and
what it can be like. If we get inside the story of Jesus we see into the
world of God. As God’s world and our world meet and join, we begin to
see the power of grace in our midst. To use older language, for a
moment, Jesus stands before our eyes. He wants to live inside our
hearts. He wants our hands to be HIS in the world we know best.”
Father Dean will preach at all the Masses this
weekend. Please join us at 7:30pm Monday through Thursday as Father Dean
leads us in reflecting on the Mysteries of
Love: Our God Reigns.
May the Lord Bless these days of our Lenten Journey.
Let’s give our minds and hearts to the Lord this Lenten Season!
Father Joe
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