Dear Parishioners,

November 16, 2008

A few pieces of information for your consideration:

Welcome back to our Seasonal Parishioners. We look forward to renewing our friendship and enjoying your presence as we gather to pray.

Soon we will end the Liturgical year with the Celebration of the Feast of Christ the King and begin a new year the First Sunday of Advent. The transition and tradition continues; hopefully our spiritual growth and development will too. That’s the Liturgical cycle we celebrate.

We recognize the confirmation of our Concert Series with the beautiful presentation last Sunday of Tre Corde Piano Trio, it was interesting to watch. Six hands on the same keyboard in unison. We thank Charlaine Free, Tim Murphy, and Victoria Williams for sharing their talent and inspiring us with a patriotic theme.

There will be an Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service on Wednesday, November 26th at 7:00pm at Grace Episcopal Church, 4110 Ridgewood Avenue, Port Orange, FL. I encourage our parishioners to attend this special Thanksgiving Service with our neighboring churches. On Thursday, November 27TH, there will be a 10:00am Mass. There will be no 8:30am Mass. Also the office will be closed from noon on Wednesday, November 26TH, and will reopen on Monday, December 1ST at 9:00am.

I have included this week the second of three parts of the “The Good Pastor” . They are intended for a little humor, take them as you will.

Part Two: Looked at another way, a good pastor must have the following: The strength of an ox, the tenacity of a bulldog, the daring of a loin and the wisdom of an owl. However, he must be harmless as a dove, as industrious as a beaver and have the gentleness of a sheep. He must be as versatile as a chameleon, have the vision of an eagle , the hide of a rhinoceros, the perspective of a giraffe, the endurance of a kangaroo. He needs the stomach of a horse, the disposition of an angel, the loyalty of an apostle and the faithfulness of a prophet. And even, if he has the devotion of a mother, he still could not please everybody!

In the entrance to the church for the next couple of weeks you will find a flyer highlighting some of the many ministries at Our Lady of Hope. There will also be a sign up form if you wish to volunteer for one of those ministries. It will also advise which weekend a representative of that ministry will be available in the parish center to answer questions.

Just a reminder, we don’t start our Winter Mass schedule until the beginning of December. On Saturday, December 3rd , we will be on our Winter Mass Schedule which will be 4:00 and 6:00pm Masses. The Winter Mass Schedule will continue until the last weekend of April.

We are still in need of someone to design small reminder signs for the entrances of the church. If you are able to help us, particularly if you are a woodworker, please call the parish office.

A reminder to encourage everyone to deposit their newspapers, magazines and aluminum cans in the large bins in the north parking lot. Our youth group programs benefit from your thoughtfulness along with the environment.

We thank our parishioners for their continued financial and spiritual support.

Enjoy the week. May God’s Blessing rest upon all of us.

Fr. Joe