Tag Archives: St. Patrick’s

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Of the Lord’s Work in many places…….

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I was wondering tonight, why I was so tired and then I remembered that yesterday I became just a year and a half away from eligibility for my AARP card! We left St. Patrick’s tonight at around 11pm, and it is all set to go but for one bathroom which will be completed about 2 weeks from now.

It felt different working there at St. Patrick’s since it is just a couple of miles from where we currently live. Since I am the priest of currently four churches, I thought WOW, this is so close to my house, but then I thought I am in lots of places and A LOT! As a matter of fact, I am only there at St. Patrick’s tomorrow because Deacons PT and Dan thought I should be at the first service when it was mostly done. Otherwise I would have been in both Nashville and Greenfield. It is funny to me……we are all so committed to all of our Missions, and to us it really doesn’t matter where we are. It is about serving God’s people and being among them. All of us, including Deacon Tony and Father Chuck, are just thankful for the opportunities we have to serve. I am blessed to work with such a wonderful gaggle (the proper term I believe for a group of clergy) of people.

Anyway, I am exhausted and going to bed. I hope and pray you and I all have a blessed and productive day tomorrow!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Fr. Tom+

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Everybody’s working for the weekend……….

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With a lot of prayers and a lot of work, I am happy to report that the work on St. Patrick’s should be finished sometime tonight before midnight! I am SO HAPPY. The people have been so patient and it will be such a blessing to have a completed and permanent home.

Often things like this get completed and it feels like a finish line when in fact it is just a beginning. We have a new church, new chairs, room to do things, yet we are called not to put our feet up and enjoy it, but rather to use it! We will use this to teach classes, to worship, to spread the Good News, and to grow God’s Kingdom. And just as the goal of the early Church was to expand, so too from St. Patrick’s do we hope to plant other churches!

I will not kid you, I am exhausted! We have been working non-stop for weeks and now Christmas is upon us! It is going to get a bit more intense before it gets easier! But thank God for the opportunities and the blessings He has bestowed upon us and our ministry! There is no greater privilege and no better place that I could imagine to be!

Come visit or join us at ANY of our missions!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Fr. Tom+

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Of joy, of work, and of rest……..

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We finally held our first service at the new St. Patrick’s today and it was a joyous event. I wish I was not so tired, but the people and the cake made it well worthwhile. We still have a lot to do to the facility and most of that will take place this week. I will be much more prepared to be there too, having slept after doing our Riverwalk service with Amanda (and Ben) in the early afternoon. I was exhausted!

And of course, as you may imagine, I still am! I notice very few problems from my stroke anymore, but if I am tired or stressed they float right to the surface. Today those problems were everywhere, but I can laugh them off. I can banish them quickly with just a little more sleep.

So of course that’s where I am going…..to bed. I hope to wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (as my grandma would say) and the best way to get there is to turn in.

So goodnight my friends and God Bless you! It has been a busy, but great day. I hope and pray that yours was wonderful as well.

Tom+

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Sleepy, my role model dwarf……….

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Today has been one of the longest days in my memory. While workers put the “temporary carpet” and finishing touches on our new facility in Westfield, I spent time with a few others gathering the things we needed, such the tables, chairs, and liturgical items to move in after they were done. We actually were able to move most everything in by 9 pm, but still had a lot to do. Most left by midnight, and I finally left at 1:30 am with a sermon and bulletins awaiting me to prepare here at home. It will not be my best work, but all things considered, it was worth it.

This is to say, my post tonight or this morning, however you wish to define it, must be short and a few hours pre-dated to get it to post on Saturday. I am excited for the people of St. Patrick’s, but particularly for the members of all our missions who continue to contribute in their support of the ministry of St. Michael the Archangel. Tomorrow is just another marker of the Lord’s deep blessings upon us…….and for it, tired or not, I am truly thankful.

Goodnight or good morning I can’t tell which…….and God Bless!

Tom+

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A day of transition………

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Tomorrow is a monumental day. Tomorrow the people of one of our Missions, St. Patrick’s, will gather for the last time at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. And at the moment we leave the building tomorrow we will no longer be St. Patrick’s Noblesville, but rather St. Patrick’s Westfield! Yes, after well over a year in the Fairgrounds, St. Patrick’s will move to a new permanent facility!

I wish to publicly thank the staff of the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for all their hard work and support of us as we launched there. We were not the first Church they provided a home for and we certainly will not be the last. They are great people and a friendly lot, and though we are excited about moving, we will miss them.

So it is off to bed for me at just shy of 11pm tonight. I will be excited to see morning come. Tomorrow is going to be a great day!

Good night and God Bless.

Fr. Tom+

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A stay of a merciful kind……

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Though we wanted to take possession of our new facility for St. Patrick’s today, the amount of work that needed to be done before that could happen exceeded the amount of time we had. Our first service in the new St. Patrick’s therefore will be moved from December 7 to December 14. It’s not a large amount of time, but it does allow us to not have to rush as much to get things done.

Even though we are not responsible for the renovations, we still have to acquire all the things that go inside that we do not yet have. We have been at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for a year and a half and they have things like chairs, tables, and podiums, all of which we must get within the next two weeks. There’s still a lot of work for us, so I suppose we can thank God for the extra time. The big thing was to be in there by Christmas…..and we will!

Keep praying for us! We are still hoping to receive donations for the new equipment (the tables and chairs). We need about 40-50 chairs and about 5 tables. We anticipate needing between $1000 – $1500 for that. We are confident that the Lord will provide, not just because that’s what we believe, but also because He always has!

Anyway, this delay will make my Tuesday a little less frantic, as I hope yours will be as well. I was able Jane Barrett in the hospital tonight and she and I had a nice talk! Praise God! God’s blessings are all around us…..can you see them? I hope so! They make life a lot more exciting!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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We have white smoke……!!!!!!

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Today we were able to release the news that we have secured a new facility for St. Patrick’s and will be moving in just a few weeks! It has been a long process, but a fruitful one. St. Patrick’s has been meeting at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for over a year, and it will be a real blessing for them to have their own place! The parishioners there have been very faithful and patient. I rejoice with them at this wonderful accomplishment! Praise God!

St. Patrick’s, like St. Matthew’s, will be meeting in a storefront. And, though we call it St. Patrick’s Noblesville, in truth we will need to start calling it St. Patrick’s Westfield. The church will move to 3032 State Road 32 in Westfield, and just as St. Matthew’s is located next to my favorite pizza place, Pizza King, St. Patrick’s goes in next to my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Japerio! God is blessing me indeed!!

And, to make it all even more wonderful, we will be in the new facility in December! Christmas will be in a permanent home. But we want to thank our friends at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. We are not the first Church here they helped launch, nor will we be the last. Their history of this work goes back almost 20 years. And we are truly thankful for their help and support. It has been a wonderful experience with them. We will pray for the next Church to follow us there as well.

Anyway, the excitement has worn me out so I am of to bed…yep, at 8:30. My Bears won earlier and though the Colts kick off in a matter of moments, I will leave them to their fans (the rest of my family). I need to go to bed while my life, and my world, are very content!

Thank you Lord for a wonderful day!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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The end of a busy day…….

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Today many members of St. Patrick’s in Noblesville joined us in Nashville at St. Matthew’s to get an idea of they type of facility we might be able to acquire up north. It was a great day. The people of each mission are so different, and it was great to give them a glimpse of the possibilities! And though there was no cake, there certainly was coffee and donuts as well a lunch…..as I said, it was a great day!

BUT, it was a long day! With all I had to do, I am just finishing up….just prior to 11. I did get to speak with Amanda and Ben, though I understood Ben better. I miss them both and Scotty and I got to talk to them on the phone. Steph, who has a boyfriend AND a life currently, was at the movies. She seemed disappointed to miss their call. We are just two days from their return, so we will just be patient.

I have to say though that I miss Ben running us ragged. I miss Amanda coming to bed talking about how exhausted she is. I miss having Ben as an excuse in order to watch Nickelodeon and Sponge Bob. And I know we all do! Though it is often chaotic, our house is best and blessed when we are all here.

Anyway, that’s it for tonight. I am beat and can go to bed without the expectation of being disturbed…..at least until Monday night. Tonight will be great, but I am looking forward to Monday more!

Good night my friends and God bless!

Tom+