First of all, I should update you concerning the pilgrimage opportunity that was posted previously. We are coordinating with a very reputable tour company called Collette. They are offering a faithbased tour titled “ The Footsteps of St. Paul.” It will run from May 9th to May 19th, 2018, and it will cover mainly the territory of Greece, the Greek island of Crete, and a portion of Turkey. A tour representative named Andrew Brown will be here on the afternoon of October 10th, to provide a detailed presentation (3:30pm in the social hall). If you are not able to attend the presentation, you can learn more by either calling (800-852-5655)or visiting the website (gocollette.com). We plan to have brochures ready soon. Hopefully we can pull together a Traverse City contingent to participate in this New Testament-themed pilgrimage. It promises to be both a very scenic experience and also a spiritually enriching experience.

Second, I can report that we have hired a new employee to oversee our maintenance operations. We actually completed the hire on Sept. 15th, but it was too late for a posting in the bulletin. In any case, we are proud to announce Curt Britten as our newest staff member. He and his wife Kathy have been St. Patrick parishioners for nearly 30 years, active here in the parish and also the wider community. We appreciate Curt’s very comprehensive background, and we also appreciate the many intangibles that he will bring to the position. As with Mike York (of happy memory), Curt will be serving on a part-time basis. Meanwhile, we will continue to count on our contracted custodian Jim Watson, who has been serving faithfully for these past ten years. It was a devastating loss, having Mike York pass away so suddenly. But we seem to have landed on our feet. As the Old Testament figure Job once remarked, the Lord has a way of taking and also of giving (Job 1:21).