This week’s bulletin cover highlights our Youth Ministry & Young Adult Ministry here at SMMA. Inspiring our young people to live and practice their Catholic Faith has always been a priority here at our parish. It’s affirmed very well in our new Parish Mission Statement…”to inspire the next generation to know, love and serve God.” Well done…to all who help with our youth ministry.

You may have heard the phrase…”coaching as a youth minister”….it’s used now with all CYC sports. So many parishioners are/have been involved with coaching here at SMMA, but right at the top of the list is Keith Louis. Keith is retiring from our Athletic Association after 15+ years of involvement.

Keith was on the SMMA Athletic Association Board for all of those years, along with coaching and refereeing. When a “board position” was unfilled, Keith readily filled in.

Keith and his wife, Angie, organized the Family Fun Nights and the Trivia Nights for many years, along with “manning” the Concession Stand and helping with the maintenance of the building. In 2018 Keith was honored as South County District Person of the Year. So, on behalf of our parish family, I say…WELL DONE! Keith and Happy Retirement.

Just to highlight a few of the Lenten activities here at SMMA:

• The Women’s Inspirational Network’s Stations of the Cross and Evening of Reflection,  
     on Wednesday, March 3rd, at 7:00pm in the Parish Center
• The Lenten Day of Recollection with video reflections by Fr. Jim Mason,
     Rector at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, on Saturday March 6th, 9:30am – 3:00pm in    
     church.
• Catholicism Uncorked with Fr. Charles Samson, on Friday evening, March 26th,
     7:30pm in the Parish Center.

The Priests of our local three parishes are once again offering a Reconciliation Weekend at St. Francis of Assisi on March 26 & March 27. Look for the schedule of priest confessors in a future bulletin.

The First Reading this weekend is the inspiring, sometimes troubling, story of Abraham and his “test of faith.” “Then God said…Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.” The context would be…some of the pagan people of old DID BELIEVE in child sacrifice, to appease their gods. That is not what the God of Israel wanted of course. What He did want was the faith, the trust, the obedience of his servant, Abraham. Abraham passed the test and so is now called the “father of our faith.” Any tests of faith in you life? How are you doing?

Welcome to March!