Wow! Last weekend was a powerful way to begin my ministry. Since it was the one-month anniversary of Fr. Paul’s untimely death, I really felt his presence. Being able to relax and meet some people after all of the Masses was very enjoyable for me – and I hope for you also. And I must say that I was so impressed with the participation and prayerful atmosphere at all of the Masses. St. Christopher is certainly a parish that worships well! It is my intention to use this column each week to share my thoughts about the parish with you. I will try to highlight some of the wonderful things that are happening here, as well as discuss various issues that are important to our lives as members of God’s family. One of the things I believe to be important is complete transparency as far as finances in a parish. If we as a staff are to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us by you, the parishioners, we have to make sure you understand our financial picture as much as possible. For this reason, I have asked our Finance Manager, Brenda Tate, to begin giving you a report each week of the amount received in the offertory the previous week. Naturally we also receive donations by way of Faith Direct, our automatic giving program. These contributions will be reported monthly. As we move forward we will also share some of the ways we use this money, including ordinary things like utilities as well as any extraordinary expenses we may have. Another thing that I believe to be vital in a parish is to acknowledge the ways that people share their time and talent for the good of our community. In order to highlight not only the people but also the different ways of serving our parish, in this bulletin I begin recognizing a “Volunteer of the Week”. Naturally in a parish this size there are countless people who volunteer in a myriad of ways. I hope that by spotlighting some of them, you may be inspired to offer your services to our parish family. And so, I begin with our very first VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK – Terry Otto Terry has been helping with our liturgical environment for many years. Everyone acknowledges that she has put in countless hours helping ensure that the atmosphere in our church reflects the liturgical season and assists us enter into the proper mood. She also was serving as a Sacristan, setting up for the Sunday Masses to make sure that everything was prepared for our celebrations. She recently decided to step down from coordinating the environment, in order to give others the opportunity to serve the parish. I invite anyone who would like to help form an “Environment Committee” to contact the office and leave your name and contact information. And Terry also assured me she would be happy to be available for consultation with us as we transition to the responsibility to this new committee. She is a great example of the spirit that makes St. Christopher an Amazing Parish, and I thank her for her service and generosity. Have a wonderful week, everyone. May god bless you and your loved ones! Fr. Giuliano