Fire in the Lord
We are nearing the end of our first year of FIRE IN THE LORD and so we take a look back and a look ahead to what has happened and the direction for the future. Last May we had our first meeting to form a committee of both teens and adults who were interested in developing a contemporary style mass with a focus on our young people of the parish. Each month on the second Sunday of the month we held our Fire In The Lord mass. The feedback over the year has been very favorable. Through the hard work and dedication of so many people who have been involved with this important project we have found much success. I want to give special recognition to Kevin and Judy for their tireless hours of rehearsals and help they have given to teaching new music in song to your young people who became involved as musicians and choir singers.
Although we have had much success there have also been many challenges in terms of promoting this special Liturgical celebration to our young people, encouraging them to get involved as musicians and singers. And even though we have had a small number who have remained steady some have come and gone for various reasons. Perhaps this is to be expected with such a new project. This just means that we all need to be supportive and encouraging to our youth to find excitement in making their liturgical experience their own and continuously building upon what we already have.
We have only two more Fire In The Lord masses scheduled for Easter which is a total parish experience and May 13th which is also Mother’s Day and our May Crowning Sunday. They have been practicing hard for May 13th to make it not only special for our mother’s but also for our Blessed Mother. We encourage all of you, the Family of St. Maurice to continue to encourage and up-lift our young people. They are important to the growth of our parish as we look into the future.
We are planning another “JAM FEST” for the month of July for all who have been and for persons who are interested in being a part of Fire In The Lord in the future. There is a real need to have more involvement by our youth and more encouragement and commitment is called for on the part of the parents to be sure that they are able to make it to rehearsals and do the necessary practicing at home to be ready for every monthly mass. This commitment on the part of the youth and the parents is absolutely essential if we are to continue to grow and succeed in making this mass all that it can be.
I want to say THANK YOU to all those who have been a part of Fire In The Lord this year for your dedication. I also want to encourage other teens and parents to get involved with Fire In The Lord so as we look to next year we will know there is a real desire and willingness to make the commitment to making this special youth liturgy a joyful and total success. On behalf of myself and Fr. Roger we thank all those who have been involved with Fire In The Lord this past year and look forward to your continued dedication and encouraging others to get involved as we shape the future of FIRE IN THE LORD.
Sincerely, Father Dennis
The Lord is calling for talent with a heart.
For you to serve his St. Maurice Family in our new Fire in the Lord Youth Mass.
Kids 12 and older can participate in:
Signing in the choir
Play your favorite instrument in the band
Greet your fellow parishioners
Read Gods word to the family
Serve as an acolyte
Contact Father Dennis in the church office for more information:
954-961-7777
At our liturgy committee meeting last May, the committee decided that we needed to have a “youth” mass to encourage our youth to attend Sunday Mass and to have a liturgy that was contemporary in style and tone. Father Roger asked me to take charge and to put together a committee and move ahead with this most important ministry for our young people. They are the future of the church; they are the future of our parish and the family of St. Maurice.
In July we held a “July Jam Fest” to encourage musicians and singers to come together in a sort of jam type session each Sunday. It went very well and we have been able to identify several of our young folks who are now in regular practice with Kevin preparing for our first FIRE IN THE LORD mass on Sunday, October 9 at the 10:30 mass.
We have been holding meetings all summer and have made some very significant progress in identifying great talent among our young adults and are now working hard to prepare for this October liturgy. We are still looking for more people to get involved to cover all the ministries that are needed at every liturgy: Eucharistic ministers, Lectures, ushers/greeters. What a wonderful witness value and a testament of faith to see our young people fully participating in all aspects of our Sunday Liturgy, and especially to see a young adult giving communion to their peers. WONDERFUL! We are looking for more volunteers.
As a parish we need to get behind this ministry and show our support and encouragement to our youth and young adults. Personally, I am hoping to see the church packed, like at Christmas and Easter for our first FIRE IN THE LORD mass on Sunday, October 9 at the 10:30. Let’s give it all we have and boost this much needed ministry in our parish.
Look for weekly announcements in the bulletin about what’s happening with our teen ministry and the FIRE IN THE LORD masses that are planned for the second Sunday of each month at the 10:30 mass. For more information or to volunteer please call the office and leave your information for me. Each week my homilies are posted on the parish web-site www.StMaurice.org
Blessings, peace and wellness to all,
Father Dennis
