the catholic community of st. francis of assisi
Holy Week: A Week to Consider the Whole
Holy Week and the lead-up to the celebration of Easter are all about family and community. As Pastor Chris Koehn emphasizes, “A lot of the gifts of Holy Week, that maybe all of us as a parish family don’t take advantage of, model the idea that ‘Church is always family.’ If your family has traditions for that week, that’s where our starting point is.” When Father Chris grew up, Holy Week was time off from school, and many offices were closed, so it was a time for family for him. He remembers that people vacationed that week, and he recalls ‘celebrating’ and spending time with his family. “For Holy Week,” Father Chris says, “families should consider ‘What makes our life blessed?’ You should be with those you love and change your pace to cherish them. It should be a week of ‘Valentine’s Day.’” “Holy Week should be similar to the tradition of ‘beach week’ that many have,” adds Chris. “During that time, you do things with your family, have dinners together, and don’t work or go to school like ‘normal.’”
Volunteer Spotlight: Pam James
Pam James can weave, and not just a great story! Pam has been in Weaver’s Guilds, each with over 200 members, in three different states, Colorado, Texas, and North Carolina, and has been an avid weaver and mixed media artist for a long time. Every two years, there is a convention where she says, “Every well-known weaver attends and is probably teaching a class.” This past year, the convention was in Wichita, Kansas, where she entered a piece in the Mixed Media category and won 3rd Place!
How does this correlate to her work at St. Francis? She weaves her love of art with her leadership of the ‘Care for Creation’ ministry at St. Francis. “I’ve always been a bit of an ‘eco-freak,’” says Pam,” I grew up with the idea that you mustn’t waste. My sister-in-law is kind enough to call me resourceful, but I’m just cheap! I’ve always asked myself, ‘Why would I throw that away? I can use that.’” She exclusively uses ‘recycled yarn’ in weaving, embracing the ‘reuse’ principle of Care for Creation.
Women's Ministry
“The Women’s Ministry at St. Francis offers a space where women can gather to deepen our faith, share our gifts, lift each other up, and feel valued and loved,” explains Jess Kelly. “In this space,” she says, “women can find a connection in community, a sense of belonging, and opportunities to serve others, all while deepening our relationship with Christ. We do this by embracing our Catholic identity through events, such as retreats, where we recognize that we are created in the image and likeness of God and gather as a community of believers to learn more about God and ourselves.” The Ministry meets monthly for various activities on different days and times to allow women from all walks of life to join us.
