From Act 2, today’s first reading we hear, “There are many kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” And from in I Cor. 12, today’s second reading we hear, “As the body is one though it has many parts … so also (is the body of) Christ.” If you look around, you’ll see that’s how the Spirit works. We’re all so different yet if we’re willing everyone has that certain something to give that makes all of us all the better. I see that in our parish staff. In our own way all on staff are quite different. Yet there’s something we all share in common, -a love for Jesus and a willingness to be the face and hands of Jesus, to each other, and to those we serve, people like you. So, as one body with many parts here’s how we do it as a parish staff team at St. Victoria. Staring at one of the hall there’s Ann Esping. Ann, formerly of the cooperate world and an engineer by trade is with the faith formation team. One of Ann’s gifts is her insights gained from the study and research she does. And in recent years she’s discovered she has a gift for public speaking. She claims she claims she an introvert but let her talk about Jesus and she’s pure energy, reminding me that Spirt takes what we have and turns it onto something we thought we didn’t have. Then there’s Joey Nelson, the well-dressed young man who has a knack for winning people over to … well, signing up for any liturgical ministry you want to be a part of. He’s the pied piper of the mass serves. They’ll do anything for him. Joey reminds me how the Spirit uses our gifts to draw people to Christ. Then there’s Emily Klinker, director of Faith Formation for Children, youth, and adults. Emily has a way of showing up just whenever a need arises. Her heart is with the parish and it shows in the way she smiles when she greets you at the door. Emily reminds me of what the Spirit teaches us, -lead with love and good happen. Then there’s John Abel, also formerly of the cooperate world. For starters John works with pastoral care and our funeral ministry. With his marketing background and “think outside the box” creativity among other things John is the genius behind the Via de Paz (Spanish for “way of peace”) Prayer Garden. John reminds me how the Spirit calls forth creativity in all of us. And speaking of geniuses there’s our parish administrator Deacon Ray Ortamn. An attorney Ray is our resident scripture scholar and with his analytical mind Ray has a gift for coming up with simply solutions to complex problems, like balancing our parish budget., which as you know is not my gift. The joy that Ray has for ministry reminds me of how the Spirt works with the natural gifts we have and uses them for God’s purposes. Then there’s Amee Gallagher and Terry Beaudry, co-directors of our music ministry. Amee plays piano and has a gift for applying scripture to daily life. And Terry Beaudry, singer extraordinaire, organist, and choir director, as a father of six and a middle school middle school music teacher has the amazing gift of juggling many different things at once without missing a beat. Both Amee and Terry remind me how spirit-filled music is one of the best ways to let the Spirt within us come out in song. Then Lori Bjorklund, our parish receptionist. My nickname for her is Lori Lu and hers for me is Bobbby Lee. How we came up with those is for another time. Bring anything to Lori and with her ‘can do” spirit she finds a way to get it done. Lori reminds me how if we like what we do the Spirt will make it even more fun. Then there’s Daryl Schmieg, our maintenance man. Daryl keeps the place looking sharp with nothing left to chance. Take a look around and you’ll see what I mean. Darryl also happens to be th practical jokester on staff. With many of his jokes involving me Daryl reminds me that good humor is a sign of the Spirit at work. Then there’s Jodee Kurcowski working with stewardship and finance. By a stroke of luck, Jodee was available when we needed her. Jodee’s impeccably thorough in her work and her good cheer brightens your day. Jodee reminds me how the Spirit can bring joy and fulfilment to even the most routine of tasks. And finally, there’s Julie Schmieg our ministry support specialist. I see Julie as the utility infielder of our parish team. She can step into about, any situation that needs her help. Julie also is the “air traffic controller” for my wild schedule which would really be out of control without her. With the calm way she handles the unpredictable Julie reminds me that the Spirt seems to thrive even when things get chaotic, which is a lot of the time in church work. In Phil 4, in a letter to the community he loves Parul writes, “I give thanks to God every time I think of you.” Thant’s how I feel when I think of our parish staff team. And then there are the many others who give so much, like Margaret Hanson. She helps with financial matters and has been helping me out ever since I came to St. Victoria all those years ago. We’re lucky to have them all. Working together as the well-oiled machine that they are the gifts of the Holy Spirt are manifested through them in ways that amaze me. “Though one body with many parts”, so it is with the body of Christ here at St. Victoria. Thank you for the gifts you bring to St. Victoria. With the Spirt at work in the parish staff and you, you help make us the parish family we are today.
