Dear Parish Family,
Despite the secularization of our culture, there is still a widespread demand for spirituality, which expresses itself in large part as a renewed need for prayer and connection. We are seeing this in many ways, including the growing number of those returning to our Catholic faith or exploring it for the first time. As we enter our first week of Lent 2026, our parish is focused on providing you with opportunities to help you grow in prayer, strengthen your families, and stay connected and involved with your larger Catholic community.
Recently, we have joined resources with St. Anne's Parish and have begun to publish a monthly catholic magazine, The Gilbert Catholic. This month of February marked our inaugural issue. Through this monthly magazine, you will learn about upcoming scheduled events happening at St. Mary Magdalene. In future editions, the magazine will bring you parish news, updates, and feature articles about our shared Catholic faith as well as ways to deepen and unleash God's power in your own spiritual life. Each issue will be mailed directly to your home.
Another way you can connect with the parish and deepen your own faith walk is by attending our Lecture Series. Once a month on Wednesday evenings throughout the year, this lecture series will facilitate regularly scheduled talks, films, evangelization initiatives, and presentations by noted priests, deacons, and lay presenters. These engaging presentations will be offered in the evenings beginning at 7:00pm and will include Q&A afterward. It is a fruitful opportunity to learn more about the richness of your Catholic faith. The next installment of our lecture series will be held on Wed, Feb 25 at 7:00pm in the church. Join us for a fascinating presentation on Eucharistic Miracles by Dr. Anne Borik. This popular and compelling talk roots us more deeply in the reality of the "source and summit" of our faith: the Holy Eucharist.
Also, please mark your calendars for Mar 11, 12, and 13 when Fr. James Mattaliano, SJ, from the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, will present our 2026 Parish Lenten Mission. The theme for this year's mission is: Five Hard Truths That Will Set Yon Free. Fr. Mattaliano is a seasoned and experienced retreat master, spiritual director, and formator of priests. You won't want to miss his 3-day mission presented here at St. Mary Magdalene.
Last weekend, as part of the Priest Presbyteral Council, I attended the Youth Synod gathering to hear about the key findings of the recent listening sessions held throughout the diocese. Across diverse backgrounds, young adults expressed unity around several interconnected core needs. "Belonging" was a theme that emerged strongly. There is a deep need for our young people to be welcomed and integrated as full members of parish life. Our young adults seek to be seen, valued, and loved; they seek intergenerational community, authentic relationships, and parishes that feel like spiritual homes - particularly for young adults with families.
St. Mary Magdalene has offered a concrete response to this need with my recent announcement that our parish will open an additional indoor and outdoor gathering space in the fall of 2026. This new space will create a coffee shop, community gathering area, and connected outdoor patio. I invite you to check out the photo renderings that are available in the narthex and parish website so you can see what the space will look like.
Toward that aim, we have begun a limited Matching Gift Campaign to raise $100,000 for the creation of the parish coffee shop and gathering space with an attached outdoor patio. A generous donor has already donated half of the $200k expected renovation costs. Since the announcement, we have already received donations toward meeting our goal. But your help is needed. This project is not about convenience alone; it is about connection. A welcoming coffee shop and patio will provide a warm, inviting space where faith and fellowship naturally meet-a space for conversation, ministry gatherings, youth and family connection, and simple moments of welcome. It will also serve as a natural extension of our parish life-supporting fellowship, evangelization, and inter-generational conversation in a relaxed and hospitable environment.
Keep in mind that every dollar given during this campaign is immediately matched, effectively doubling the impact of each contribution and allowing us to reach our $100,000 goal more quickly. Each gift - large or small - has an immediate and multiplied effect. Once funding is in place and the renovation is complete, we will be able to begin enjoying this new space by the fall.
I approach this current Matching Gift Campaign as a vital step towards realizing the parish hall building, which remains the primary need and goal. Once operational, any funds generated from the coffee shop after costs are directly deposited as "restricted" gifts into the new parish hall fund. Each cup of coffee or pastry you enjoy...builds the new parish hall.
Finally, a parish hall building committee has been formed, and initial inquiries are underway with the diocese. I will be announcing very soon the chairperson and project manager who have been selected to lead the hall planning, design, and construction project. Thank you for supporting this project and investing in our parish home. With these new initiatives, we will continue to grow deeper in our faith while further shaping our parish into a school of prayer, a field hospital for the wounded, and a lighthouse of charity.
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