Dear Parishioners, This is Fr. Jacob’s final weekend with us here at St. Catherine. We will have a reception for Fr. Jacob between the 9 a.m. and the 11 a.m. Masses today. In fact, he has to be in South Haven on this Sunday afternoon/evening as he already has commitments on Monday at St. Basil. Thank you, Fr. Jacob, for the time that you spent with us in Portage these past nine months. We all hope that you will enjoy your first summer in South Haven! Fr. Joseph Abraham, MSFS will begin his ministry and time with us on Monday. As Father has been stationed in other parishes in our diocese, I haven’t really had a chance to work with him or know very much about him. However, we are thankful that the Missionaries continue to supply priests to work and minister in our diocese as we only had one ordination this past year. It looks like all of us will get to know him better in his time here with us at St. Catherine. As we prepare to celebrate our Independence Day this week, let us never take for granted the freedoms that we enjoy in our country and those who have protected our freedoms. It’s hard to believe that the first Independence Day was 247 years ago and that our country will be celebrating our 250th anniversary in just three years. I’m also starting to wonder where the last 50 years went as I still remember celebrating the Bicentennial in 1976! Our Vacation Bible School 2024 starts in just a few weeks. Please keep this in your prayers as we begin this month of July! Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark