In an effort to “stay in touch” during this unprecedented time, Jana Ripley (longtime parishioner and chair of our Administrative Council) has been sending out regular emails. Our website news, blog postings, personal contacts with our “buddies,” bulletins, and livestream Masses are among the many ways we have tried to maintain contact, even though we can rarely gather in large groups and must remain vigilant about safety amid the coronavirus. Below is a sampling of Jana’s outreach to the parish. We hope you enjoy it and that you will let us know if you would like to receive such emails yourself (if so, please let us know at holycrossoffice@archdpdx.org).
“I love people who have no idea how wonderful they are and just wander around making the world a better place.” When I saw this little saying, it hit home for me because this is exactly how I feel about all of you… my friends of Holy Cross Parish! Of course we know we have an ALL STAR Pastor and Staff who work tirelessly to not only keep our parish running smoothly… but to nourish our souls, and challenge us to be better Catholics… better human beings! And yes, we know we have one of the finest Catholic Schools with the most caring teachers and staff in the Archdiocese! Our school kids are so blessed!
But ALL of us are an integral part of this parish too! It takes ALL of us stepping up and taking responsibility to keep our parish special and alive! Some of you contribute to the life of this parish in very obvious ways, by bringing Mass into our living rooms in providing the video/sound expertise. We also see the dedication and talents of our singers, musicians, readers, servers, Eucharistic ministers, greeters, ushers, and flower arrangers. But others are behind the scenes quietly ministering to our homebound, cleaning the church, laundering all the altar linens, changing out candles, polishing the brass, watering the plants, making and hanging seasonal banners, planning, and decorating for our Church’s major holidays!
What would we do without our Religious Education programs and those of you who take on the most important responsibility of leading, teaching, mentoring, guiding and helping with the children and youth of our parish! We thank you… because our kids are our future!
Our grounds are prize winning! While some are planning, planting, weeding, cutting, and deadheading flowers in our church gardens, others are bringing in dirt & fertilizer, building borders, faithfully watering, dividing, mowing, trimming and transplanting our gorgeous blooms and bushes. Then behind the scenes are many of YOU who donate funds for new bulbs and plants, who donate plants from your gardens, and who bake all kinds of goodies for the Fund Raising Bake Sales which are always such a success!
While our St Vincent de Paul Food Pantry is highly visible, most of our volunteers are not! Behind those doors are MANY kind and generous folks who are sorting, stocking shelves, checking clients in, filling their baskets and boxes with much needed and appreciated groceries. Some travel to the Oregon Food Bank and New Seasons to buy and/or pick up groceries to give to others. Someone is always cleaning & sweeping and organizing the pantry so it looks clean and inviting to all guests! SVdP officers are preparing required reports for the Council and keeping the books, all quietly done without praise or fanfare. Then there’s so many of YOU who donate food and/or cash to keep the pantry stocked! If there’s a need – YOU are always there!
There’s a group of lovely ladies who quietly set up and serve luncheons after Funerals. Their hospitality and kindness means so much to families at their most difficult time. And after the family leaves, the “lunch ladies” clean everything up, put it all away….. some taking home the linens to wash and iron, and some leaving with lists of what the kitchen needs to get re-stocked for the next gathering! Do you enjoy the Senior Luncheons, the monthly Saturday night potlucks, the Sunday coffee and doughnuts or having Thanksgiving Dinner at Holy Cross? You may not know their names, but there are parishioners who host those social get-togethers. Most of us don’t realize how much time is spent planning these events… most of us just show up, chat with other parishioners while eating, and go home. But there are parishioners who quietly stay behind and clean up, and prepare for the next gathering!
There are men and women who serve on our Pastoral Council, our Administrative Council, our Knights of Columbus Council. Thank you, too, to those who lead our Prayer Groups, our Study Groups, and our Education Groups!
As you can see…. it takes a village to run our parish! That village includes YOU! God bless YOU… EACH of you who continue to support our parish with your offertory gifts and dedicated prayers! We don’t just go to Church – we ARE the Church! We believe it, we live it! WE are HOLY CROSS… little by little, making the world a better place!
