St. Pius Catholic Church

    It’s a busy weekend.  It’s time to return your parish survey or to complete it on-line at www.stpiusri.org.  This Sunday the Knights of Columbus are sponsoring their annual Pro-Life Breakfast from 7:45 AM to 12:30 PM in Farrell Hall.  Have a wonderful breakfast and support Pro-Life activities in the Quad-Cities.  This Sunday afternoon at 4PM, we will celebrate the annual Day of Prayer for Christian Unity.  It will be held at First Congregational Church in Moline near the I-74 Bridge.
    Thanks for your generous donations to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.  Donations have been coming in all week.  We’ll announce a final total in another week or so.  One example of people’s concern and compassion occurred after the 4 PM Mass last Saturday.  As I was returning to the sacristy, a person from another parish who happened to be at that Mass handed me a check.  She said it was for Haiti.  I looked down and saw that it was for $1,000.  I thanked her, and I thank all those who donated to this cause.
    At the 4 PM Mass this weekend, another noteworthy event has occurred.  Rachel O’Hanlon, who is part of our RCIA (Rite for Christian Initiation of Adults) process leading up to full membership in the Church, was received into the Catholic Church.  With permission of Bishop Jenky, I had the privilege of Confirming her.  At that same Mass, Rachel received her First Communion.  All of this was possible because our RCIA is now a year-round process.  People can join it at any time, and people can be initiated into full membership in the Church whenever the candidate and the RCIA team discern that the individual is ready.  So we need to be prepared to celebrate the sacraments of initiation not only at the Easter Vigil but at many other times during the Church Year, except during Lent.
    Rachel’s husband is Sean.  Their children are Regan, at Alleman, and Kevan and Rian at Jordan.  She was baptized at Riverside Baptist Church, Decatur, Illinois, and she and Sean were married at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Peoria Heights.  She is a nurse midwife at Edgerton Women’s Health Center.  She was involved in fund raising for the Habitat House which we built a couple years ago.  Welcome Rachel!!!
    This past work week began on Monday with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and ended on Friday with the Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.  These two commemorations remind us of what has already been achieved in the last 50 years and how much still needs to be accomplished.  But having these two days just five days apart is good, because in reflecting on them together I find hope.  Some minds and hearts still need to be changed, but we have come a long way in a half century toward eliminating bigotry and racism in our country.  A great many minds and hearts still need to be changed regarding respecting human life, especially in its early stages.  But if racism can be conquered, then so can the Culture of Death be conquered.  We must never lose hope.  We must never stop our efforts to change hearts and minds.
                    Mike Schaab, Pastor