These parishioners have graciously agreed to participate on our Campus Building Committee for our master plan construction. They will be working to bring the details to the master plan and communicate with the parish. Please reach out to these parishioners to give your input and ask questions.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

The parables of today's Gospel illustrate different paths leading to discipleship in the kingdom of God (or... of Heaven, as Matthew likes to call it).

The metaphor of the found treasure shows the kingdom flourishing within someone who welcomes it. Even though with no preparation, almost in a hurry. In a short time, the person passes through a conversion experience, touched by faith, leaving behind sin and vices.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus warned us about the influence of evil in our lives. It is naive to think that we are free from the attacks of the forces of the anti- Kingdom, anti-God, anti-Church. Even worse is to convince ourselves and others that the devil doesn't exist. This is what he wants in order to deceive more, confuse more, destroy more. God's enemy, and ours, aims to neutralize the work of God in the world and our lives.

Removal of the five pine trees at the Stonewall House will begin on Monday, July 24. This will take approximately 10 days. During that time the drive down the left side of the church will be closed while they are working. The house will not be able to be used during the day and we will reschedule meetings to a different location. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

The parable of the sower calls attention to some important points on the missionary work of the disciples. Their work is to sow, not worry about the harvest. They need to reach out to as many people as possible.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

In the time of Jesus, many scribes gave too much importance to themselves. They seemed to feel superior as compared to others, as if they had some religious knowledge unattainable by others. They saw themselves closer to God more than their fellow men and held the knowledge of God’s will.

How is Saint Rose of Lima determining the pledge amounts that we are asking families to consider?

The request amounts are based on several factors, including giving history and the answers shared in the feasibility study. Our goal is to challenge everyone to consider supporting Saint Rose of Lima above their usual giving. We ask each family to prayerfully consider a manner of giving, and we encourage you to give an amount that is meaningful and sacrificial to your family.

Dear Fellow disciples, peace.

This Sunday’s Gospel reports maybe the hardest demand of Jesus to his disciples. He must be at the center, first place, in the life of each disciple.

To love Jesus implies having Him and His gospel at the center of our existence as the motor that gives strength and life to everything. It is to take all choices and decisions having in mind our sense of belonging to Him. He will become the source and the light of every step we make and every breath we take. There is no compromise! Our other loves must stay behind His. Otherwise, it will not be true love.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

There will always be forces against the building up of the Kingdom of God in this world. Those forces will try to misguide, deviate and deceive the disciples of Jesus. Those called by Him to build the kingdom here and now. The disciples will be faced with a hard price to pay for staying faithful to God.

Their courage comes from the sure hope that their life is in God's hands. For this reason, there is nothing to fear, not even these diabolical forces. They know that nothing happens in their life that is not controlled and permitted by God.

Volunteer Opportunities (Help Needed!!) –Wayne Overman is leading an effort to get the ball rolling, but he is asking the “parish at-large” for some specialized assistance as listed below. If you have this expertise or know of someone in our parish that does and is willing to donate time to help this effort, please drop Wayne a note at wjoverman@dtkjllc.com or call/text 615-414-5731. We are not asking for a huge commitment of time, just a few hours here and there. We are hoping to build a database of skills in our parish that can assist us in moving the program forward. As the program progresses, we will be reaching out for other skills that will be needed, so stay tuned!

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus used the metaphor of the harvest and the laborers as a way to talk about the need to have co-workers, collaborators in the mission. It is just too much work to be done just by one person. Those available to help are few. Hence the need to recruit a group so that the harvest will not go into waste.

Applied to the disciples, this metaphor shows the importance of the mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all peoples, following Jesus' footsteps. Without the disciples it would not be possible to reach all humanity, as the Father wishes it.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ presents two essential elements for Christian discipleship. On one side it presents the faith and the reality of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species and on the other these Eucharistic species, the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, offered to the disciple as food for the journey.

We are progressing with our information gathering toward construction / renovation plans:

• We have completed on-site sampling for asbestos and lead paint surveys in the Marian Center. We found some lead paint in isolated areas. The results for asbestos are due around June 9.
• We are also working on renovation alternatives for the Marian Center including demolition and new construction.
• We have a Purchase Order in process for the removal of the tall pine trees at the Stonewall House. Work is to be scheduled in the next few weeks.
• We are continuing to work on our update of the Masterplan focusing on space needs and how best to use the property that we purchased to the north of our campus.

Since the One Faith, One Family, One Parish Capital Campaign kicked off one month ago, our efforts have started to produce fruit. Our kick-off event and donations over that weekend produced $32,069. We have received an additional $48,500 from the initial efforts of our volunteers. Combined with $532,816 already reserved for our campaign, we have raised $613,385 towards our efforts. This means we have almost reached our goal for Phase One construction outlined in the case statement.

Since the One Faith, One Family, One Parish Capital Campaign kicked off one month ago, our efforts have started to produce fruit. Our kick-off event and donations over that weekend produced $32,069. We have received an additional $48,500 from the initial efforts of our volunteers. Combined with $532,816 already reserved for our campaign, we have raised $613,385 towards our efforts. This means we have almost reached our goal for Phase One construction outlined in the case statement.