Dear Friends,

As most of you probably know, this weekend is Fr. Bill Bartniski’s last weekend at St. Peter’s Parish. He has been the pastor there for the last 13 years, and he will most certainly be missed. We wish him every blessing as he begins his new pastorate at Holy Rosary Parish in Rosenberg, Texas. As we tell Fr. Bill goodbye, we also welcome Fr. Chacko Puthumayil to the island. I am looking forward to meeting him soon. I know that he will just fall in love with Galveston, as everyone does.

Here is a little reminder. The Bethlehem Nativity Group is selling their devotional objects after all masses this weekend to support the Christians of the Holy Land. Please support them if you can.
The next part of the Pastor’s Letter is from Amy Brennan, our cantor, with some information about the very exciting music developments here at Sacred Heart.

Have a great week, and God bless,

Fr. Niall
_______________________________________________
For those of you do not know me, my name is Amy Brennan, and I am the cantor who leads the singing at most of the masses. I am very excited to be a part of the growing Sacred Heart Music Ministry. Singing at our beautiful church is an honor and a blessing for me. I absolutely love the family that I have found within the Sacred Heart Community.

If you have attended the noon mass on Sunday within the last few weeks, you will have noticed Bryson Bassett learning how to lead the parish in song. This has been just a taste of what is to come. In the spirit of moving our music ministry forward, we are establishing the Sacred Heart Children’s Choir, which will be an incredibly enjoyable experience for everyone involved. With the assistance of Mary Grasso, we will have our children leading us in song at the noon mass every Sunday. The children will be singing right in front of the Blessed Mother's Altar, where the whole congregation can see and hear them. There is nothing more powerful than the sweetness and purity of children singing their praises to God, and we urge all children, aged to participate. As a mother, I know how hard it can be to get the kids to mass every Sunday, and being in the choir really gives the children participating a special inducement to attend. My own little boy will be taking part, whether he likes it or not. We have high hopes that many of the children attending CCE will join us, as well. Practices will begin in September, and permission forms will be available in the next few bulletins for those wishing to participate.

The adult choir practices will also begin in September. Parishioners willing to lend their voices are encouraged to join us at the 5:00 p.m. Saturday Mass and at the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass. Rehearsals for both the children and adult choirs will take place the first Tuesday of every month, with the exception of the first rehearsal. Because of Labor Day, the first rehearsal will be held Tuesday, September 9th. All rehearsals will take place in the Centennial Room. The children will start at 7:00 p.m. sharp, and continue until 7:40 p.m. Adult rehearsals will be held from 7:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you or your child or children want to participate, I strongly urge you make the commitment to attend all rehearsals. Father Niall has threatened to place all unrehearsed singers in the back row! So, please try to be present every time.

On the same note, and no pun intended; I have been very excited to see so many of our parishioners joining us in singing the mass parts and hymns. It is truly wonderful to be part of a parish that genuinely makes a joyful noise unto the Lord! Although some of you may be self-conscious about your voices, I encourage you to sing out anyway. Just remember, if Father Niall can sing, anyone can!

*All volunteers working with children must have completed archdiocesan VIRTUS training.