Last Sunday we had 150 people attend the St. Bede Parish Picnic and Ice Cream Social with Irish Music! What a remarkable day to see our front lawn packed with people and great food, games for the kids, and of course wonderful Irish Music.

Thank you to all who came out to participate and thanks to Karen Boltey and her committee for organizing this wonderful event! Thank you for welcoming my parents who were in attendance! A great Welcome Fr. Tom cake from Prantl’s Bakery was on hand too! We had many parishioners from St. Charles Lwanga and St. James also attend. Thanks to St. James for lending us the folding chairs. Social events like this build community. The people in our three parishes forming friendships and participating in each other’s events are what make the people the eternal treasures!

This weekend we celebrate the Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time. The readings this weekend give hope to everyone making a clear distinction between our desires for worldly riches and the riches that we receive as a result of just living by following God’s law.

In the first reading from the Book of Numbers, we read how the prophets Eldad and Medad have no fear in proclaiming the truth. Joshua gets jealous at them and doesn’t want to welcome them into the circle. In the Gospel of St. Mark, John says to Jesus that someone in their company was using the power of his name, and Jesus replies, whoever is not against us is for us. The tendency to see the world in only closed circle creates hatred, envy and violence. Let us learn to see the world and others through the example of Moses and Jesus who desire everyone to receive every good and be one people under one God.

In just three weeks we begin a new journey forming the Catholic Community of the East End of Pittsburgh with a new Interim Mass Schedule, let us be open minded by inviting others to come and worship with us and see the treasures around us!

Eternal Treasures!