Dear Parish Family, We never know what is around the corner in our lives and who or what we will encounter. St Elizabeth of the Trinity encouraged us on how to respond to God. “Receive every trial, every annoyance, every lack of courtesy in the light of what springs from the cross. That is how we please God.” She believed she had a spiritual mission to help “lead souls to a deeper encounter with Christ Jesus.” No matter how or where we encounter facets of life, we need to remember the words of St Marianne Cope “Let us make use of the fleeting moments, they will not return.” Pope Francis often refers to the term CULTURE OF ENCOUNTER and he tells us “it is a reaching out in friendship, acknowledgement, and experience a fraternity, especially to those who are neglected.” Encounters for me are fairly frequent and give the opportunity to be touched by others on a more personal basis. Fr Stanley often shares the providence of who one meets. I think of the lovely lady from New York with her cadaver dog, I met on an airplane. She shared her horrific experience of being in the Twin Towers on 9/11 and was on her way to help in Turkey after an earthquake. This kind of encounter channels our inner self and our relationship to God. Large or small meetings often make indelible marks on our heart and soul. Reading this - does it conjure up encounters that have been in your life? Do you ask God – “what do I take away from this, and how does it impact who I am and my relationship with you?” May our loving God bless you! Mary Jo