St. Joseph's Mission Church in Albin, Wyoming is like many other rural locations throughout Wyoming. It is a small church attended to by one of the larger parishes in the area. The church in Albin is served by the pastor from Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. The small church sits at the intersection of State Highways 215 and 216. As I drove by the church on my way to a funeral vigil in Nebraska, I had to stop to have a look. The small building just captured my attention. (Yes, those are grain bins in the background of the photo.)
I have traveled much of Wyoming in my ministry as the Director of Pastoral Ministries and have been to almost every parish. However, there are still quite a number of the parish missions located in very isolated areas that I have not yet seen. These small faith communities demonstrate the commitment of Catholics to keep the faith alive in the most rural of settings. It also confirms the generosity of so many Catholics who contribute to Catholic Extension Society which helps small mission churches like this one to keep going financially. The congregations are frequently too small at these mission churches to stay financially afloat without help from the larger parish which attends to their needs as well as the Catholic Extension Society. (The larger parish attending the small mission church may not be all that large either.)
There are many people who work behind the scenes to keep our parishes and missions going. The generosity of parishioners never ceases to amaze me. The sacrifices made by dedicated individuals to build up the Kingdom of God by giving generously of their time, talent, and treasure is a true blessing.
On this Third Sunday of Lent take some time to reflect upon how you are actively involved in building up the Kingdom of God.
I have traveled much of Wyoming in my ministry as the Director of Pastoral Ministries and have been to almost every parish. However, there are still quite a number of the parish missions located in very isolated areas that I have not yet seen. These small faith communities demonstrate the commitment of Catholics to keep the faith alive in the most rural of settings. It also confirms the generosity of so many Catholics who contribute to Catholic Extension Society which helps small mission churches like this one to keep going financially. The congregations are frequently too small at these mission churches to stay financially afloat without help from the larger parish which attends to their needs as well as the Catholic Extension Society. (The larger parish attending the small mission church may not be all that large either.)
There are many people who work behind the scenes to keep our parishes and missions going. The generosity of parishioners never ceases to amaze me. The sacrifices made by dedicated individuals to build up the Kingdom of God by giving generously of their time, talent, and treasure is a true blessing.
On this Third Sunday of Lent take some time to reflect upon how you are actively involved in building up the Kingdom of God.
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