On September 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., our parish will sponsor an activity for every family and individual in our parish that is sure to create an atmosphere of fraternity, one of faith and most assuredly filled with fun—it is the first-ever St. Catherine of Siena Backyard Carnival and Picnic.

As pastor, I am offering a personal invitation to one-and-all. I hope you won’t miss out, and to ensure enough food, ice cream, drinks and fried dough, I am asking that you register online, as soon as possible, by going to website www.stcatherine.info.

In registering, I would also ask some of our youth and young adults in the parish to register also as a volunteer—for a short period of time—to help run a game or activity for our children and families. Go to the same website for volunteering (Confirmation hours are available).

As we continually work to build our parish church, this September 24th Family Picnic and Backyard Carnival is the “kick-off,” post-Covid, of our continuation of our Forward with Faith Campaign-sponsored series of events to educate, enliven and engage the lived-faith of our parish.

Studies illustrate that when a community is connected, united in friendship and has a singular purpose or hope, then much can come from our collective efforts to grow. “A new report by Pew Research Center and the General Social Survey published on Tuesday (9//13/2022) found that the large numbers of people in the U.S who practice Christianity are declining. The religion's demographic has been dwindling since the 1990s, the report said, as many adults’ transition to an identity of atheist, agnostic or "nothing in particular.” Another study a few years ago by the Harvard Business Review also noted that due to the decline in trust of institutions in the US— government, churches and more—there has been an increase in crime, divorce and societal ills. What can we do as a parish community to reverse these trends and build faith in our world?

We all know the problem at hand in our society—and in our own families. BUT there is something we can do about it. We can no longer leave it to others. We—you and I—have to step up to the plate and become part of the solution. We have to:

• Talk about Christ and faith in our homes, our lives and in our community. No longer should faith be held so “close to the vest.”
• We have to pray as families in simply ways, such as Grace said at the table, kissing your children good night and saying “God bless you!” Prayer is not just the memorized, rote prayers of the Church, but is it also conversations with children and friends about how we experience God in our own lives—we can’t make God foreign to daily existence.
• We have to live our faith as a family. We as families have to serve the Lord…perhaps in Feeding the Hungry— going as a family one weekend a month or quarter to help out; in making dinner together as a family at home and delivering it to our parish St. Elizabeth House ministry or by families taking on the Street Sandwich ministry. Dr. Kevin Dowd will speak to us about this at 3 p.m. at our Picnic.
• Parents can be leaders in faith by signing up as lectors or Eucharistic ministers—being examples to your children—and then go to Mass AS A FAMILY.

These are some examples of how to grow the faith locally and out in the community.