I. Pictoral Directory: Deadline to make an appointment is January 22nd! A huge thank you to Lisa Taylor and Kathryn Wimsatt for tak-ing on this monumental task. Job well done! Make an appointment after the Sunday Masses or go on-line to our website. Call the parish office if you have questions.
II. Ecumenical Hymn Festival: Thursday, January 19th, 6:00 p.m., with the Bishop, here at the Cathedral! We will welcome our sister parishes as well as our neighbors from the Christian Churches in our area. This Festival takes place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18th —25th, which is when the Church Celebrates the Conversion of St. Paul. The theme this year is “Reconciliation—the Love of Christ Compels Us.” (2 Cor 5:14-20). The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a history of over 100 years—in which Christians around the world have taken part in an octave of prayer for visible Christian unity. By annually observing the WPCU, Christians move toward the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper “that they all may be one.”
III. Epiphany Vespers and the Epiphany International Potluck: Special thank you to Lupe Ellis for commandingly Coordinating this Celebration and Teresa Brown, our Pastoral Council liaison and all the helpers who made this a special event! A special thank you also to our Magi/Three Kings: Landon, Luke, and Kolbe Reffitt. CONGRATULATIONS to the Nathan Reffitt family as they were the winners of the door prize, a trip to Florida during Spring Break. What a treat for such a deserving family—send us a postcard! Thank you to everyone who came out and participated!
IV. Opportunities for Life: The Kentucky Bishops’ 24-7 Hotline for women experiencing a difficult or unwanted pregnancy—it reminds people of the alternatives to abortion. This hotline has been in service for over 20 years and has been a great and blessed success in saving the lives of the unborn. When you donate to Opportunities for Life, you are saving lives. One phone call from a woman near despair is the difference between life and death. For more information, please visit www.opportunitiesforlife.org.
V. Baby bottles for Birthright: Next weekend, January 21st/22nd, we will support our local Birthright by picking up a baby bottle when you leave after Mass. Please place your donation in the baby bottle and return it to the parish office during the week, or in designated areas in church the following weekend—January 28/29th. Many thanks to Kate Abney for coordinating this vital event in and through the social concerns committee of the Parish. Birthright “A Friend is Waiting” (birthright.org) offers an alternative to women considering an abortion. January 22, 1973, a day “which will live in infamy,” must be a day in which we re-double our efforts and be relentless in educating and communicating reconciliation for women as well as men. The Holy Father and the Bishops call us to pray for healing for all those who have been part of an abortion. Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat is a wonderful place to begin the healing process. There are retreats several times a year. For more information visit HopeAfterAbortionKY.com or call Debbie 270/570-4717 or Jennifer at 931/242-5506.
VI. Presbyteral Convocation: January 16-19th: Bishop Medley gathers with the priests of the Diocese each year at St. Meinrad for continued education, retreat, state of the diocese address, etc. This year our topic is death and dying: how to better implement the ritual for funerals— The Mass of Christian burial. Please pray for Bishop Medley, myself, Fr. Jamie, and the priest of the diocese of Owensboro. Corey Bruns, our seminary intern will also be part of this continuing education.
VII. No Mass at the Cathedral on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. Be aware of the Mass schedule at the Carmel Home at 6:55 a.m. each morning. Mass is also available at 7:00 a.m. at the Passionist Monastery.