Now we look to a new year…2016. For our parish it signals that we have be-gun our 160th year as a parish family in Collinsville (officially when we received our first Pastor…but Catholics were here long before that date). It also signals that our parish church will celebrate its 50th anniversary…Nov. 6th, 1966!
We might think and reflect on the many, many families who have worshiped here and generously served God and others with their lives. They prayed through the times of the Civil War and all the political turmoil of the many wars that would follow. They kept the faith and made the sacrifices that held their families close to the Lord. Now it is our turn.
We look to deepen the life of faith and prayer among us…remember the four seasons of stewardship…prayer, study, giving & sharing. They are lessons for life…since stewardship/discipleship is a way of life. The words to describe stewardship may change a little but the reality of what it means stays the same…hospitality, prayer, on-going formation, service!
The buildings we use to foster growth and encourage our faith response reflect our faith and trust in the Lord. It is an outward sign of that faith, love and devo-tion we render to the Lord and offer as a witness to the world. We trust that the Lord will lead us along this journey into the future…with all of its challenges and successes.