Dear Parishioners, I was very pleased that Bishop Lohse was able to join us for a special Mass on Pentecost Sunday. A special thank you to my staff, and all the volunteers who helped pull this together in just a short amount of time. Even though there was a lot of damage in our Portage community from the tornado, there are also a lot of things to be thankful for: the gift of life! It amazes me, seeing the destruction of some of the buildings, just how one can be thankful in these times. We continue to clean up and prepare our plans to work on rebuilding things. It will take some time, but when I know more about these things, I will certainly update everyone. As of the time this was written, I don’t have any firm estimates on replacement costs (but this is somewhat normal in disaster work). Please continue to keep all these things in your prayers, as well as all families and businesses as they also seek to rebuild. Now that the Easter Season is officially over for another year, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity this Sunday. As the Holy Spirit completes the Trinity, we see how each part of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit can help us during different times in our life of faith. Our country also celebrates Memorial Day weekend over the next few days. This annual remembrance helps us to remember all those who went to serve our country and protect our freedom. Sacrifices were made; bravery was shown, lives were lost. Many generations have gone before us allowing us to enjoy the freedom that we have today. May we remember the sacrifice that they made for us and for future generations so that our nation can continue to flourish. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark