Recently my friend Mary Lou called to ask for prayers as she was preparing for major surgery. I have known Mary Lou for over twenty years. I met her at a priest’s Jubilee Dinner and found out that she recognized me from writing articles in the Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper as a guest columnist. Our friendship grew over the years as she continued to pray for me while studying at St. Vincent Seminary, attended my ordination and first Mass and continued to be a pen pal all these years. I told her that I would pray for her health and her surgery. She called me a few days later to say that her surgery was a true success! We can never give up on asking God to help us in a time of need. It is great when we can pray for one another.
 
This weekend we celebrate the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings this weekend focus on prayer. In the first reading from the Book of Genesis, we read on how Abraham asks God for blessing the sinful city of Sodom. God is kind, merciful, and forgiving. God assures a worried Abraham that the entire city will be spared. In the Gospel of Luke, often called the Gospel of Prayer, we read Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus teaches how to pray. In Luke’s account of the gospel, Jesus follows the words of prayer as he teaches his disciples a parable about a friend in need of bread for a hungry visitor. Jesus reminds us that we can approach God confidently knowing he will always listen, always forgive, and provide and protect. We are children of God who have experienced the Lord’s forgiveness. We are expected to forgive everyone in debt to us.
 
Jesus encourages us to ask, search, and knock. If God is like a loving and forgiving parent to us, then we must be loving and forgiving sisters and brothers to one another.
   
CCEEP Blood Drive Thank you to everyone who helped make last week’s Blood Drive a success in the St. James Chapel.
 
Parish Improvements
A new clothes hamper has been placed in the St. Bede Sacristy for soiled linens, purificators, and altar clothes.
 
The St. Bede Rectory roof continues to get repaired and the construction on the new STREAM Lab at St. Bede School continues.
 
Church roof. According to the inspection report, there is a combination of the windows/ masonry/and stonework leaking, and the caulking on the flashings on the lower side roofs below the windows being loose and possibly leaking. They are advising to having a masonry company to take a look.
 
As for the roof, they are recommending a new roof “sooner rather than later.” The shingles are at the end of their life. The finance council recently met this past Monday to begin talks as to what to do. This is going to be a major task for our CCEEP Community. Stay tuned for more information.
 
Beginning next Saturday August 3 and 4 weekend Masses at St. James will be held in the Chapel so our visitors and parishioners can enjoy the air conditioning.
 
St. Bede Church is also air conditioned during the summer. Please visit all three of our campuses to get to know your parish family members.
 
**We appreciate your continued financial support to St. Bede, St. Charles Lwanga and St. James. It is important to use the parish envelopes or participate with the on-line giving so we can continue with the various upgrades at our campuses. **

2019 Missionary Cooperation Plan In your July offertory envelope packet you may have noticed the Missionary Cooperation Plan Envelope. These envelopes were printed well in advance before we booked the speaker. Please hold on to the envelope until September. Rev. Peter Mushi from the Apostles of Jesus will be speaking at all of the masses at CCEEP the weekend of September 14 and 15. A second collection will take place that weekend.
 
Congratulations to Kip Gerard Kostura, son of Ryan and Ali Totten Kostura who is being Baptized this weekend.
 
Welcome Home A special welcome to Patrick, Nicole, and Arkadiusz Nigorowicz, and Spencer Pullins who recently registered at CCEEP.
 
Something to Think About…