Dear Parishioners, When I was a young boy, going to Mass with my parents at St. Mary’s, I always found the missionary priests who would come to speak to us very interesting. They would preach at Mass and then come over to the school to talk to each class about the missions. My parents would contribute to the collections for the missionaries and of course, we got on their magazine list. These magazines would catch my interest each time they arrived as they featured a different missionary priest, brother, sister or lay missionaries and the different countries and cultures they lived and worked in. As you can guess, I never made it out of the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Yet, I still feel that connection to missionaries who work around the world, spreading the message of the Gospel. Today, we have an opportunity to support missionaries on World Mission Sunday. We are reminded how the Church is missionary in its nature. We need to support these missionary efforts to continue to follow the words of Christ to teach all the nations the Good News. I was a little surprised a few weeks ago when the Bishop asked me to head up the mission office in the Diocese, the Propagation of the Faith. Fr. Farrell held this office for a number of years and now I follow in his footsteps. As the new director of this office, I ask your support in prayers and through your generosity to support the missions through the envelope in your packets or online giving. Your support is greatly appreciated.