For this Third Sunday in Lent, our Gospel takes us to Jesus having a conversation with the Samaritanb woman at the well. He wants to introduce her to living a level of faith to which she should belong, but for some unforeseen reason, she is steeped in sin. Yet, this doesn’t stop Jesus from introducing his mercy to her and her village.

There is a very poignant series of messages that are hidden in this Gospel, and only those steeped in humble faith will be able to catch the entire richness of these messages. Not even the Apostles can see how Jesus reaches out to this woman. They’d rather have this “bothersome” woman conveniently disposed of, so that they could get on with their work. Jesus, however, shows them it’s His work that they are to be doing, not theirs.

Have you noticed the Stations of the Cross in church lately? As I mentioned in a previous bulletin, they are a “labor of love,” and they are not totally new. Thanks to the generosity of parishioners Joe Hughes and Jay Flood, they have been transformed from the walls leading from the chapel. Joe crafted the wooden frames, and Jay put the deep red velvet backing behind those diamond-shaped frames. Then we spotted fourteen lamps placed around the church and hung the stations directly under those lights to accent them beautifully.

Our Bishop was well-pleased with those renovations when he came last weekend of the wedding anniversary Mass, and will bless them, along with the Knights of Columbus “10 Commandments and 8 Beatitudes” monument when he comes to celebrate the 70th anniversary of our parish on April 10th. The Stations, which were found previously in the church, now replace them on the hallway walls leading to the chapel, where they are accented by the lighting, and equally spaced. Hopefully, during the year as well as Lent, these arrangements will be inspirational for those sharing in the memory of Christ’s passion and death. Our Lenten mysteries are celebrated on Friday mornings following the 8:30 a.m. Mass, and before the 5:00 p.m. Mass (4:30).

Bishop Barbarito will be returning this Saturday afternoon (April 2nd) to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on several of our 9th grade students who have been preparing to make their own personal commitment to the Catholic faith. Sometimes, this Sacrament is viewed as the end process of learning about our Faith. Sadly, with that approach, maturity in living out our faith is often stymied and stifled.

Would we do that, concerning the feeding of our children healthy meals each day? The poor priorities

and simplistic faith outlook of our young people today are badly distorted by the overpowering negative influences with which society surrounds them. That’s why so many people of the “lost generation” try to pooh-pooh the serious sin of abortion, and parlay it into a type of political hot potato that they dare to call “choice!” Believe me, there is no “choice” for the unborn child that dies in the womb!

Our 2nd Collection this Sunday is for our Mission in Guatemala. Last week, you saw the video and heard Steve Dudenhoefer’s presentation on the fabulous work being done there because of your help. Please try your best to continue that help with your commitment to our sister mission this weekend.

We don’t have the final figures from the 44th Annual Parish Festival yet (as a few outstanding bills have to be paid and a few credits have to be given to us), but I think it’s safe to say that it was a much greater success than last year’s, and possibly the year before that. I am pleased that we had so many volunteers who worked seemingly endless hours in setting up and taking down the equipment, as well as the many more who joined in their efforts to help it run so smoothly.

Our kids helped tremendously, too, and they enjoyed themselves in the process, while learning what they someday might be doing to continue and promote the growth of our parish school. Fortunately, we will continue to give a top-notch quality education for our kids, not having to fear as some others schools will about possibly shutting down in the near future. Thank you for your support in keeping our parish school so vibrant and so outstanding in all categories!

The Diocesan Workshop on the New Roman Missal will be presented in our parish hall this coming Tuesday evening at 7:00 P.M. Father Brian King, Secretary to Bishop Barbarito will conduct the workshop with his usual wit and sense of humor, bringing you valuable information. I hope that all those who are lectors, cantors, musicians and liturgy planners will attend, along with those of nearby parishes.

Thank you for your continued support of The Ferrer Fund, which helps our parish support its school. So far, we have received gifts of over $50,000 since the campaign began last December. I’m grateful to the men and women who have undertaken the promotion of this program, and the generous members who have underwritten and contributed so graciously to this fund. Your gift is another great means of helping to make a difference in the education of our children and the maintenance of our many school programs and facilities.

Our annual DSA (Diocesan Services Appeal) continues in its 5th week. Our overall needs are great, as members of our diocesan family beseech our bishop for help. Your personal commitment in supporting the great work they do in assisting the poor children of migrant workers, the education of future priests in our seminary, the support of the outreach and counseling roles of our Catholic Charities office, and the care given to the elderly and sick in our institutions means that a lot of people will see the good work done by the Catholic Church in a society that loves to point out our weakness.

Even if you are not a regular resident of Florida, your gift, no matter how small or great, will assist numerous members of our Palm Beach Diocese community. If you haven’t yet made your pledge, please take a pledge envelope home with you today, read it over, and fill it out to help us help others in need!

Very Rev. Canon Tom