Why the name?

"Holy Conversation" does sound like an exceptionally pious name, even for a parish blog. And we can't guarantee that everything here will meet the high standard the name implies. But the phrase comes from the story of our patron saint, and we think it fits. Here's why.

St. Scholastica was a sixth-century abbess who, according to the Dialogues of Pope Gregory I, used to meet once a year with her brother, St. Benedict. On the last occasion they were together, they spent their time "satisfying each other's hunger for holy conversation about the spiritual life."

We hope that this blog can become a place where the members of our parish can find a taste of the companionship and conversation that Scholastica and Benedict enjoyed so much. Welcome!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Year of Welcoming


“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Is there anything that lifts us up faster than a hearty welcome? 

Anything better than knowing that the people around you are happy that you’re there? 

Wherever people get that feeling, they want to stay.  And when it is time to leave, they want to come back again.

What if every person who walked into our church or any parish event felt that way?  Whether having grown up in the neighborhood or recently arrived, what if everything she or he experienced said, “Come in, you belong here.”

To further enhance the vibrancy and richness of our parish life together, the Pastoral Council is working on events that will be fun and help us all to get to know each other better.  In addition, we can actively enliven the ways in which we welcome visitors and new members of our parish family. 

That is why, during the Liturgical Year that runs from the First Sunday of Advent-2013 until the feast of Christ the King-2014, we will be celebrating the “Year of Welcoming” at St. Scholastica Parish.

Programs, activities, worship services, and outreach efforts during this special year will be grounded on the goal of building a wider, deeper, and more inclusive spirit of a welcoming community among all parishioners.

Look for more information on opportunities to share your smiles, warmth, and ideas as together we celebrate the Year of Welcoming at St. Scholastica.

For, as Jesus said:

“Whoever welcomes [a] child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mk 9:37)