Heartfelt appreciation from Bishop Tobin - JUNE 23, 2007

This week Fr. Bob wrote:

I received the following:

“Dear Father Hawkins:

Congratulations to you and your parish community for surpassing your goal for the 2007 Catholic Charity Fund Appeal. I am grateful to you for your hard work, dedicated involvement, and outstanding leadership that you have demonstrated to ensure the success of your parish’s 2007 Appeal effort.

Please extend my gratitude to the lay leadership and parishioners who made this success possible. Now in its 82nd year, the annual Catholic Charity Fund Appeal has helped tens of thousands of needy Rhode Islanders. On behalf of those who benefit from the Appeal each year, I extend my heartfelt appreciation….”

Sincerely yours,
Thomas J. Tobin
Bishop of Providence

JUNE 23, 2007

I’ll know excellence when I see it - June 3, 2007

I subscribe to Church Magazine a quarterly publication, which always has helpful articles on ministry. Recently I read an article by David DeLambo entitled “In Search of Pastoral Excellence”. The article probes the possibility of identifying certain characteristics that make a parish excellent. We are familiar with the saying, “I’ll know it when I see it”. It is more difficult to name, define or measure pastoral excellence. Yet the article highlights these five marks of an excellent parish: 1) preaching that connects Scripture to daily life; 2) attending to the needs of the sick, homebound and bereaved; 3) having a pastor and staff energized and enthusiastic about ministry; 4) liturgies that are prayerful, reverent, and spiritually moving; 5) engaging in outreach to the poor.

I believe in the quest for excellence. As my dad used to say, “If you are going to do a job, do it right”. Here at St. Luke’s we set lofty goals. Are we there yet? Probably not, but we are on the road.
Fr. Bob Hawkins June 3, 2007