From the pastor’s desk—Oct. 17, 2021

Dear Sacred Heart Family,

Since arriving to Springfield, many people have asked me, “What do you think of Springfield?” and for the first few weeks I replied, “actually I
lived here 7 years ago, for a year as I served at Catholic Campus Ministry at Missouri State, so this is my second time living here.” After a few weeks of living here, the big differences between living here and Los Angeles started sinking in, like living in a place with humidity again, or much less traffic, or seeing green everywhere. Some parts of this transition have been easy and others more of a challenge, but at this point I have gotten settled enough to start seeing all the blessings that are around me, and, in particular through the lens of our festival of Nations.

At this moment I am filled with such gratitude for all who have contributed to this event from those who cooked their international dishes, our sponsors, the many restaurants that have given us donations, those who bought raffle tickets, and all those who worked on the planning of this event from the Hispanic Committee to Fr. Gaspar. So many hands and hearts have come together, that this event more than anything else has showed me how beautiful the Sacred Heart Church family is and in turn, Springfield.

I do not believe there is anything more powerful than these weeks that help us to live the beautiful Spanish axiom “mi casa, es tu casa” (my home is your home). When we share our foods, our music, our dances, our culture are we not inviting others into our home in the most intimate way? It is this sharing that has made me feel at home and I am so grateful.

It is my hope that we can extend that same welcome we have given our visitors to the Festival of Nations to those who will visit our church in the coming months for Mass, for baptisms, or for PSR.

All for Jesus with Mary,
Fr. Ray