In the Gospel for this Sunday, the disciples remark to Jesus how beautiful the Temple is. Jesus tells them, "it will be destroyed." Spiritually it is important that the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross replaces the daily sacrifices of goods and animals in the temple. The temple would be destroyed 70 years after the Messiah, according to the prophecy of Isaiah. Jesus is the new and beautiful temple.
On earth we build churches as a way to give our best to God, to teach others about God, and to help in our prayer. The Temple of Jerusalem was designed following heavenly reality, and our church is supposed to reflect the beauty and majesty of heaven.
I am not claiming that the beauty of our churches is an excuse to live an ugly life, but rather our love for God, others, and ourselves should overflow into a love for "God's house".
This week we will begin some low-cost renovations and improvements which fit into the proposed master plan. The goal will be two fold - to increase the prayerful atmosphere of the church space and to see what a little time, talent, and treasure can do.
The renovations will begin immediately and consist of (1) new flooring, (2) removal of the storage closet, (3) installation of windows. The floor, windows, and open space will be just as beautiful when the church is transitioned into a hall.
How can you get involved?
Volunteer to help with the work - we are looking for people who are handy and people who just want to help
Sponsor - would you like to sponsor the windows or stained glass, or purchasing the flooring? The whole interior project is capped at $5000.
Pledge - by pledging to our building campaign, you ensure that we can meet our goal to build our new church and have a full campus.
Together our parish can do great things, not only building a church, but also building up the Church through our love, prayers, evangelization, and charity.
Please stay after liturgy to help us with moving furniture, prep, and installation. Please let us know if you are able to come any evening to help with installation.
- Camping trip Saturday, September 29th, and Sunday, September 30th. We have tents, come for all or part. - Parish improvement feedback. What can we do better? Please anonymously write your comments and turn them in over the next few weeks. - St. Vincent dePaul First Saturday of Every month 6:30 pm- 8 pm serving meal at men's Gettysburg shelter 1921 S Gettysburg Ave, Dayton, OH 45417. - Special festival thank you September 8th after both liturgies.
- House of Bread volunteering 9 am - 2 pm Tuesday, October 23rd.
- Anyone interested in going to play paintball? The young adults are planning an event. Speak with Fr. Alex if you are interested. - Maronite Young Adult Convention in Washington, DC October 5-7. - Bishop Elias visit Friday through Sunday December 7-9. With meet and greet, spiritual talk, liturgies, Saturday Night Dinner, and raffle. - Initiatives- To what is God calling you? What are your hopes, dreams, and ideas for our parish? What do you want to do? Mission, charity, prayers, work, fundraisers, or maintenance? How can we support you?
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