Dear Parishioners and Friends,
This weekend marks our annual diocesan Catholic Charities Appeal. This year’s theme is Make Me a Channel of Your Peace. Your generous support will bring peace to the lives of others, to offer dignity, possibilities and companionship to those who are most vulnerable. Thank you for your kind pledge or offering!

We also take the opportunity this weekend to update parishioners on the progress of the Implementation Phase as we continue with our Collaboration initiative between St. Malachi and St. Patrick. A member of the Collaboration Steering Committee will speak at the end of each Mass today with a brief update and invitation to carefully review the bulletin insert. Please take a few moments so that you are up to date and to contact any of the nearly 40 parish leaders serving on these teams.

Finally, please join me in welcoming Charles Jude Haire who was received in the Catholic Church this past Monday. Due to his health situation it was decided that Charles – a catechumen in OCIA –should receive the sacraments at this time. Welcome Charles and may the dear Lord bless you with peace and hope!
Be sure to keep reading the parish bulletin, exploring the parish website, and please make sure that you’re on our weekly email updates.

Father Gurnick

Dear Friends and Parishioners,
Our prayer life consists of public and private moments but there really is no such thing as “private prayer.” Why is this important to
stress? The answer is simple: prayer always starts with God’s prompting as a graced invitation for us to participate and is always in communion with the Church. We don’t innovate prayer; as baptized members of Christ’s body, we’re always praying – publicly or personally –within the Tradition of the Church.

Liturgically, or publicly, this is clear most of the time. Liturgy is universal for Catholics everywhere. Vernacular languages and some cultural
customs may vary, but the outward form and expression of each liturgy is always recognizable. Personal prayer and devotion should also be recognizable, although more personalized and shaped by an individual’s preferences. Some of these may include methods for reading scripture, meditating in silence, prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, reciting the rosary, chanting a litany of the saints, Lectio Divina, Taizé, and a plethora of other spiritual exercises. Although these are personal preferences for prayer, each one has been approved because it is consistent with sacred tradition; that is, each of these forms of prayer clearly are rooted in the Tradition which is always grounded in the Most Holy Trinity.

And both forms – public and personal – are essential for our daily lives. Yet, sadly, many Catholics don’t have an understanding of this need to calibrate (balance) the two. If I’m not exercising during the week (personal prayer) but expect to “fill up my spiritual tank” on Sunday morning (public prayer), I will certainly find myself frustrated. The reason? Because I can’t offer to God what I have not accepted in my own life, for my own good. As with our bodies, our prayer life requires daily attention and a healthy diet with proper exercise. Here’s to your health!

In Christ Our Life,

Fr. Gurnick

In 2025 St. Patrick and St. Malachi Parishes will conduct a Mission Series based on the book Divine Renovation: Bringing Your Parish From Maintenance to Mission by Fr. James Mallon. Complementary copies of the book will be available at the kick-off event on January 15th.

Please RSVP to stephanie.p@stmalachi.org so we know how many books to have ready and to have enough food for everyone.

Please include which small group you plan to attend.

•  Kick-Off Gathering : January 15th at 6:15pm | St. Patrick – Come to the Lower Hall after the 5:30pm Mass for a light supper and a launch of this exciting book study.
•  Weekly Small Group Discussions – In the weeks following this kick-off we will have small group meetings on different days (some in person, some over Zoom) where parishioners can take the questions for that week and discuss them as a group.  
  • Sundays at 11:00am at St. Malachi Hall
  • Mondays at 10:00am in St. Malachi Parish Meeting Room (upstairs)
  • Tuesdays at 6:00pm via Zoom
  • Wednesdays at 6:10pm (after 5:30pm Mass) in the St. Patrick Faith Formation Center Conference Room
  • Saturdays at 8:30am in the St. Patrick Faith Formation Center Conference Room
•  Final Wrap-Up Event—March 30 time TBD | St. Malachi

Dear Parishioners and Friends,
We continue our planning for Collaboration Implementation as St. Malachi and St. Patrick enter into our new relationship as oratory and parish. As there will be many extensive tasks to complete throughout 2025, folks may begin to feel the realities of change. Our reactions and responses will vary as we all handle change in different ways. Some changes may foster enthusiasm while others may present challenge. Some of the changes may evoke no reaction or feeling  as they won’t necessarily impact individuals.

Many of these changes will be based upon careful study and will include communal feedback as Leadership Teams implement the many recommendations offered by the Working Groups in June and the decisions of the Steering Committee in August.

Some of these changes include:

1. Alignment of Liturgy Schedules for weekends, weekdays, and holy days of obligation;

2. Celebration of other sacraments, including Marriage and Penance;

3. Coordination of calendar events between St. Malachi and St. Patrick;

4. Coordination of parish budgets, policies for preserving restricted funds, establishing administrative procedures, designing effective communications, etc.

5. Establishing a joint Parish Council, Finance Council, and other commissions and committees.

Most importantly, however, is continuing to establish a spirit of charity, trust, and unity as we discover ways to grow together. For each of us, this will require active listening and authentic engagement. And it requires a prayerful heart that is being prepared for these significant changes so that  the mission of Jesus Christ remains strong, viable, and hopeful for all parishioners and members of our community. As
we move forward together, I ask for your continued prayerful and practical support as we implement these changes in 2025. In addition to the leadership teams that will assist us, I am grateful to all of you for your active participation and involvement in the life of our parish as we enter into this new chapter.
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Fr. Gurnick