Around The Diocese For July 11
What is a sacrament and what does it do?
Every week in the parish bulletin at St. Peter Celestine Parish in Celestine and at St. Raphael Parish in Dubois, Father Eugene Schmitt writes a letter to his parishioners.
In a recent bulletin, he discussed the sacraments. “Most Catholics know that there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony.
“What is a sacrament and what does it do? In the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church,’ it states, ‘The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church by which divine life is dispensed to us.’
“So what does this mean? Other Christian Churches have baptism and Communion. However, they view those as symbolic. However as Catholics we recognize our sacraments actually doing something, which is they give grace, forgive sin, imbue us with the Holy Spirit and in many cases put an indelible mark, or character, on our souls.
“Rather than just being a symbol, God actually works in and through the sacraments. When we are open to God’s work in the sacraments, the Catechism remarks that, ‘they bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.’”
Happy Birthday!
Deacon Cletus Yochum Jr., St. John the Baptist and St. Vincent de Paul parishes, both in Vincennes, celebrates his birthday July 16.
Father Joseph Erbacher, pastor at St. Peter Parish in Linton and Holy Name Parish in Bloomfield, celebrates his birthday July 18.
Deacon Thomas Goebel, Corpus Christi Parish, Evansville, celebrates his birthday July 18. He is the administrator pro tempore of St. Bernard Parish in Rockport and St. Martin Parish in Chrisney.
Father David Fleck, pastor of St. John the Baptist and St. Vincent de Paul parishes, both in Vincennes, and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Petersburg, and administrator pro tempore at Sacred Heart Parish, Vincennes, and St. Philip Neri Parish, Bicknell, celebrates his birthday July 20.
Father Kenneth Walker, judicial vicar in the Diocesan Tribunal and pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Martin County, celebrates his birthday July 22.
Happy anniversary
Couples at Sacred Heart Parish in Schnellville and St. Anthony Parish in St. Anthony who are celebrating anniversaries include Tom and Linda Pund, 40 years; Eugene and Wanda Leisman, 40 years; Charlie and Sue Kempf, 55 years; Wilfred and Marilyn Buechler, 55 years.
RCIA director
“I am happy to report that Irene Skomp has offered to serve a RCIA director for both parishes,” writes Father Joseph Erbacher, pastor at St. Peter Parish in Linton and Holy Name Parish in Bloomfield.
Happy Birthday!
Maggie Phillips, parish catechetical leader at St. Clement Parish, Boonville, celebrates her birthday July 19.
Youth news in Loogootee
Mark Potts, young minister at St. John Church in Loogootee, writes, “Thanks to Collin Dant and Cassidy Esch for helping call bingo at the Loogootee Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center,” and “thanks to Cassidy Esch, Jamison Hennette, Corbin Henninger and Savannah McAtee for helping call bingo at Ketcham Memorial Center in Odon.
Happy Birthday!
David Memmer, principal at Holy Spirit School, Evansville, celebrates his birthday July 20.
