Dear Parish Family,

As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, “Now, there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

What does this mean to our parish community? Our parish members have a variety of talents that have been bestowed upon them by God. There are many ways in which these talents can be offered to help in Building up the Body of Christ here in Maple Shade. Some have the talents of hospitality, while others are best suited to behind the scenes organizing. Some have the talent of reading the Word while others are better suited to operational standards. No matter what talents we have each been given by God, how do we use them? Do we offer them back to God and His people?

Time is a resource that we often feel is in such short supply, but every day has 24 hours of sixty minutes each. What do we choose to do with our time? Do we use our time to grow closer to God? Are we using our time to bring others to the faith in the Resurrection? We all have choices as to what to do with our time and we need to prioritize the use of that time with the priorities of our lives.

I am always amazed at the time and talents our volunteers bring to the table at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. There are those that will do anything asked of them, and they are often the first to be asked to help. Studies show that the best way to encourage an individual to participate in a parish activity is through a personal invitation. Please consider this your personal invitation to choose one aspect of our parish life to become actively involved in. Many opportunities to serve the parish exist, from our dedicated group who work to set the environment in our worship space to our Buildings and Grounds Committee who assist in planning for the maintenance and improvement of our campus; from catechists who help in the building of the faith of our youth and adult disciples to our CYO coaches who help to provide a healthy environment in which our youth participate in sports. You can see a list of opportunities on our website here.

There are so many talents out there, and so many needs. This has brought us to understand the need for someone to focus on helping our parish members find the best fit for their talents and interests in participating in the Building up the Body of Christ. We are looking for a champion to help develop opportunities to serve the parish community and assist our parish members in discerning the best use of their time and talents. Please see our posting for a Volunteer Coordinator and prayerfully consider if you or someone you know might be a good fit for that role.

On Holy Thursday, Fr. Wilson washed the feet of eight disciples in our parish. He challenged each of us to wash each other’s feet, figuratively. How is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, alive within you, striving for the common good? Striving to wash the feet of others? Take some time to consider how you can serve our parish community and in turn grow in your faith.

In Service to the People of God,

Marianne Linka
Business Manager