Certainly any & every death is a significant one. No matter the details, the size of the family, or anything else, losing someone we love is a very hard experience to endure. Every single member of our parish family is valued & important & when any one of us passes on, it leaves a void in both a biological family & our parish family.

It was recently pointed out to me that over the past 2 years, the date of April 30th has been the date where we have celebrated the Funeral Masses for 2 very involved & very dedicated members of our parish family. Last year, we celebrated  the Funeral Mass for Paul Racette on April 30th, & this year we celebrated Pat Singleton’s Funeral Mass on April 30th. I was only blessed to know both of them for only a few years, but you know much better than I, how involved, dedicated, & committed to the life of this parish community that both Paul & Pat were. They certainly weren’t, & aren’t, the only 2, but losing both of them so close together has left a huge void in our parish.

While both of them taught us many things & both left a lasting legacy in the parish, I think that they can & they do inspire us to continue to build up & support the life of our parish with dedication & commitment as they did. Over the past few weeks since Pat’s passing, I have begun the process of looking at & listing all that she did for the parish so that I, & we, can start the process of charting a course forward. There have been a number of people that have stepped up to fill some roles & help with the charting so far, but as I continue to figure out more, the need for help will be there still. I invite you to look & to listen for some of the ways that you might be able to help continue the work of Paul & Pat, the work of so many others, & of course the work of God, in continuing to move our parish forward & continue to help it grow & thrive, so that we can continue to be St. Pat’s, Alive in Christ!