Greetings from Fr. Dave

World Marriage Day is celebrated this weekend in anticipation of Valentine’s Day this week. Blessings to all of our married couples, our widows and widowers, and our engaged couples!
 
Our Catholic understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage has at least two big components. One, it is a real-world image and reminder of the faithful love that God has for each of us. Each time we see a couple hanging in there in good times and bad, in sickness and health, we are reminded that God has revealed himself to us with that same kind of commitment to never ever let go of us, no matter what!
 
Second, marriage as a sacrament is a unique way of preparing for heaven — dying to self, selfishness, self-will, by the ongoing process of giving oneself to another, seeking their happiness and well being, and not “counting the cost”. Thank you to all our married couples who witness that so clearly.
 

Next weekend, all parishes will be doing the annual in-pew process to help fund the ministry of the Archdiocese. As I hope you know by now, this is the only fundraising we do here at Holy Trinity. I remind you that being Catholic by its very nature means we are not a stand-alone parish community. Holy Trinity cannot exist apart from the Archdiocese, and the Archdiocesan Catholic Appeal funds the ministry of the Archbishop, the Pastoral Center staff, seminary training, deacon formation, care for retired clergy, prison ministry, and campus ministry at our area colleges. You can learn more about the good work the ACA supports at osd.archdpdx.org/aboutaca.
 
Our parish is asked to pledge just over $131,600 this year. In previous years we have always met our goal, not by big hitters contributing a lot, but by a high level of participation from the bulk of the parish. Thank you already for promptly filling out the pledge cards and making your commitment.
 

Retreat opportunities: for the women of the parish, our next Christ Renews His Parish weekend is February 22-23 and still has limited openings. The weekend is held at Our Lady of Peace Retreat House and is put on by women in the parish, sharing their faith stories and the ways God is continuing to change their lives. More details and the sign-up form are on our website.
 
And, our parish Morning of Reflection takes place on March 14 ^th: Faith of Champions. We have three high-level athletes speaking about how their faith has influenced their life — their successes and their challenges. Mark your calendars for an inspiring morning for folks of all ages, here from 8:30-12:00pm.
 

Blessings to Heidi Briggs, Helene Petines, Amaya Rimal, Madeline Schuch, and Lane Simek, who were baptized this weekend!
 
This weekend, funeral services were held for Ray Seabeck. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.