Happy Fourth of July weekend!  I recently discovered this quote from John Adams in a letter written to his wife, Abigail:

 You may note that John Adams' intent was to get the Declaration of Independence signed on the 2nd of July.  However, as so often happens, red tape delayed things by two days.  Independence Day was officially declared on July 4, 1776.  I also was struck by the words that the day should be commemorated by "solemn acts of devotion to God almighty" and that this request came before "bonfires and illuminations".  It was our founders original intent that our freedom be celebrated with devotion to God. Our celebration of this day calls to mind God's deliverance of the people of Israel out of Egypt into the promised land and our deliverance that comes through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As we commemorate our national holiday, let us be mindful of our freedom and the great cost at which it has come.  May we give thanks to God for all those who have served (and continue to serve) in our armed forces and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  Have a blessed holiday weekend.

As you may know from the article in the latest edition of the Holy Angels Herald, Retrouvaille is sponsoring an International Council Meeting on the first weekend of October this year.  I was privileged to go to Rome last fall for the meeting and this year we will host over 500 people from 17 countries around the world.  In the Herald I wrote about how you can help.  Our Cookbooks are available through Jeannie in the Religious Education Office.  Books are just $15 and contain hundreds of great recipes from our communities around the globe.  Also, if you'd like to make a donation to our efforts, there are donation forms and envelopes in the Gathering Area.  Just drop your donation into the offertory basket and we'll make sure Retrouvaille of Cleveland receives the donation for helping couples in troubled marriages.  Thanks for all your support!

Some significant changes for Eucharistic Ministers are coming as a result of the new Diocesan Norms for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion effective July 30, 2009.  Training sessions have begun and will be mandatory for all EMs.  Unfortunately we only had 10 days advance notice of the most recent training sessions.  However, there will be more in the Fall and we will be sure to let all our EMs know, well in advance, of those dates.  Thank you for your prayerful and important ministry! 

Enjoy the beautiful summer weather!
Fr. Dan