The start of a new year is a great time for us to take a fresh look at our support of our parish.  Committing to stewardship of time, talent, and treasure is an important part of living a Christian life. Real Christian living asks a lot of us and is not easy. Making a commitment to stewardship is a serious challenge, including with recent years’ COVID challenges to our health, our finances and our loss of full community with family and friends.

The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP) Anti-racism Working Group is hosting the third series of discussions to advance anti-racism, which is  titled “Self-Activate.” Join other QAS and Saint Mary of the Woods parishioners for rich discussions with the decades of lived experience from the many retired sisters, diocesan priests, deacons and school teachers.

Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week has been the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Our school theme this year is: God is a part of our lives. As we observe this special week, we call attention to the qualities and values that make Catholic schooling such an important ministry of Queen of All Saints Parish.

In October, the Wall Street Journal published a commentary titled "Amid the Pandemic, Progress in Catholic Schools" by Kathleen Porter-Magee. The author draws upon the recent findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress which reveal nationwide drops in reading and math achievement among 4th and 8th graders since 2019. She highlights the very different experiences of Catholic school students during this same period. The reporter notes that while the pandemic "set a generation of students back … Catholic schools were a bright spot" by keeping their doors open for in-person learning and demonstrating how "community-focused, mission-driven leadership can benefit children."  

Queen of All Saints parish is blessed with parishioners who continually witness an enduring commitment to their Catholic faith. I am grateful to the numerous parishioners who are deeply involved in our ministries of worship, faith formation, parish life and outreach. I cannot stress enough that everyone is welcome to participate in these ministries regardless of prior experience. I express my gratitude for the gift of your precious time as well as your financial support to our parish.