Last Sunday afternoon, found many parishioners gathered at the Elk’s Pavilion for our annual parish picnic. It was a beautiful summer’s day and an afternoon of conviviality and community. Although the numbers were fewer this year, the spirit and reality of God’s nearness was all around.

Each year as we host this picnic, I am taken to the event eight years ago. It was on that day when I came to St. Michael’s for the first time. It was before my official assignment began on September 10. Fr. Dick Casey, the interim administrator, invited me and said it would be a good time to ‘meet and greet’. And it was indeed! Little did I know what those next eight years would bring in terms of challenges, but also in terms of growth and developments in our parish. So many ministries are doing so much good among our parishioners and so many of them were represented in one way or another at the picnic.

Many thanks to the hard working Men’s Club who attend to all the details: the setup, the execution, and the break down; the advertising, obtaining the food and the cooking. Thanks also to all those who prepared salads and desserts which were delicious, John Volpe and Edson from the Brazilian community for the beautiful music (as usual) and to the ministers at the celebration of Mass. Special thanks to our Portuguese parishioners who once again provided freshly made Malassadas for the day!

It was so good to see and talk to so many who we see at weekend Masses but barely get to say hello. All of this is what our community is about!

This weekend, of course, we celebrate Labor Day and the official end of yet another summer season. As we enter this month of September, our church building will finally be restored and fully funded by your great generosity! And hopefully, the bulldozers will soon disappear and our parking lot will be complete.