Since I came to Sacred Heart Parish, I have experienced great love - in this parish that is closest to Paradise. May we keep loving, for when love is the way, we will treat each other as family. And as Martin Luther King once said: “When we rediscover the redemptive power of love, we will make this old and tired world, a new world.” As I mentioned to you upon my arrival here, no family, no parish is perfect, together we keep working at it, for all of us are work in progress. I’m aware that some people may have been hurt by the things that happened in the parish in the past, we want to come together on September 14 (The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) to celebrate a Healing Service. Pope Francis many years ago asked us: “What do you bring to the Cross and what do you want to take from the Cross.” Terrible things were done to Jesus, but He forgave. He asked the Father to forgive them. May we too look at the Cross and see how much He has forgiven us and be determined to forgive others: in our families, parish, workplace etc. A time of crisis can give birth to something new. The word crisis from its Latin root means: a time of decision, a turning point. May whatever happened in the past be a turning point for us, lead us to decide to begin again, to love again. To prepare for the healing service, please join me in praying the Novena to Our Lady, the Undoer of Knots. You can find in the foyer, copies of the novena. It’s a nine - day prayer starting on Saturday, September 5th and ending on Sunday, September 13th . We will pray the novena before Mass or you can pray it at home. Francis Chan once said: “God’s definition of what matters is straightforward. He measured our lives by how we love.” Today’s Gospel reminds us: ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ Mathew 18:20 Indeed, God is with us! Parish Barbecue - September 7 at 4pm. Invite friends and neighbours. Find details on page 4 of the bulletin. We will start games at 3.30pm. Hamburgers will be served also. Labour Day Mass - September 7 at 9am. Please come and join us to pray for everyone returning to work, students returning to school and to ask God for His grace and protection for our families. Have a blessed week. I look forward to celebrating with you. To all our visitors, we are so blessed your life journey has brought you here today. Your brother, Fr. Obi