July 28, 2019

My Dear Parishioners,
                Thank God for the nicer/cooler weather this week, not as hot as the last few weeks.  Please stay cool physically and mentally so that you may live each day to the fullest and always be full of love for God and for each other.  Next weekend, August 3rd and 4th, Father Curtis Hecker will be here to celebrate all weekend Masses and hear confessions prior to every Mass.  Please take this special time to go to confession to a guest priest.  Fr. Curtis is a young chaplain priest at Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School.  He loves education.  He loves to help teenagers grow in their Catholic faith and teach them how to deal with this life.  Please welcome him to our parish and be sure to thank him in person for celebrating the Holy Sacraments for us.  There will be no daily Mass from Wednesday, July 31st to Friday, August 2nd as I will be in Carthage, Missouri for the Marian Days.  On my way, probably I will stop by Pittsburg to visit a priest friend, Fr. Jerome Spexarth, pastor of the parish there.  We used to spend a lot of time together when we were in the seminaries in Minnesota and Ohio.  He is a great, dedicated and holy priest. 
The Carthage Marian Days is an annual pilgrimage where 60-80 thousand people, mostly Vietnamese Catholics, gather together to celebrate their Catholic faith and to give special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Of course, we will honor our ancestors, the Vietnamese Martyrs too.  There are people coming from Vietnam too, especially priests and religious sisters.  Our Bishop Kemme has been joining this special event for years and he will be there again next week.  I have been going every year since 1986.  As a priest, I will be helping with a lot of confessions, both in English and in Vietnamese.  Of course, I will concelebrate at Holy Masses and will be praying for you all.  Please know that you are dear to me and I will pray for you every day, especially at Holy Masses.  My wish is that we will all make it to the kingdom of God.
   School Registration: If you have not registered your children to attend our All Saints Catholic school yet, please do so.  The best gift in life is the gift of God to them and the love for God in their hearts.  Loving God with all one’s heart, mind and soul and loving others as oneself is the way of life for all of us.  Please register your children to attend our school.  Thank You!
   Back to School Get-Together: Everyone is invited to our back to school evening on Sunday, August 11th with much food and fun.  Our teachers will be available to meet everyone and to show our children their classrooms, etc.… You don’t have to have kids in school to support Catholic education and to let our children know that you care for them with your time, talent and treasure.  We are called to do good unto each other, especially our children, for they are the future of our church and families. 
                                                                           Love you all, Fr. Hien