St. Dominic Catholic Church

Pastor's Corner

September 23, 2018

When I arrived at St. Dominic’s just over three years ago in August, one of the first things I heard about was a “parish fiesta”.  Remember, I have never been assigned to a parish before – I had worked in campus ministry, co-Directed a Catholic non-profit, and worked in formation of seminarians. My hometown parish in farm country in Illinois had a big “chicken dinner” that lasted all afternoon and evening in the late summer.  It was a chicken dinner (duh), with games for kids to play, and lots and lots of pies. Once my small hometown had a celebration of its 150^thanniversary, and the town fathers sprung for some carnival rides that were set up on the town square.

You might imagine my surprise when after a few weeks at St. Dominic’s I woke up one morning to find carnival rides being set up on the church parking lot!  “Oh no,” I thought, “someone’s made a mistake and delivered these to the wrong address!”  When I learned they were for usand our parish fiesta, I began to realize that this would be nothing like the chicken dinners I grew up with!

Over the last two years the school parents have taken more responsibility for leadership in the planning and execution of the fiesta, which is a huge undertaking.  But it’s not just a school fundraiser to help defray costs.  Our wonderful elementary school is the largest ministry of our parish.  Catholic education, and the students who are the product of it, have been called the “greatest work of the Church”. Catholic Schools were ranked #1 in the percentage of graduates who actively participate in civic and community activities such as voting, volunteering, letter-writing to legislators, Catholic Concerns Day, and donations to charity, not just for a tax write-off, but out of a sense of the requirements of justice.

So come enjoy the fiesta, and thanks for supporting this ministry – and our parish.