From the Desk of Father Jason - March 1, 2026

Dear Saint Francis Xavier Parishioners,

One of the common pastoral situations in our parish is family members who no longer go to Church. My situation is no different. I feel so helpless. We pray for them, but what else can we do? I recently read the book Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church by Brandon Vogt published by Word on Fire. This book gave me hope. It does not provide a “silver bullet,” but lays out a game plan to draw a loved one back to the Church. I highly suggest this book.

On January 31, several of the Parish Council members and I gathered for a meeting. The purpose of that meeting was to develop a new mission statement for our parish. Not only did we produce a mission statement, but also a vision statement and core values. On February 8, they were submitted to the whole Parish Council who made changes. Now we would like to submit them to the entire parish. Our proposed mission statement is “To follow and worship Jesus Christ by sharing the Gospel.” Our proposed vision statement is “To be the living example of Jesus Christ to others.” Our proposed core values are “To be Loving and Forgiving. To be Faithful and Prayerful. To be Growing and Serving.” Let us know what you think.

Finally, we continue to be in Bishop’s Appeal season. One of the ministries that assists our parish is the Office of Divine Worship at the Diocese. They are the ones who provide guidance on how we worship and have helped me with various aspects of the liturgy. They provide a service that we need and could not provide on our own as an individual parish. Thank you to all of you who have given to Bishop’s Appeal. I am incredibly grateful. If you have not yet done so, please consider giving this year.

Sincerely through Jesus,

Fr. Jason