Fr. Johnson (left) and Fr. Holloway

Two priests have joined our Prince of Peace family and we hope that you've had a chance to meet them!  Father Gerald Holloway comes to us from St. Francis Assisi in Tuscaloosa and is originally from Anniston, where he graduated from Anniston High School.  He holds degrees from both St. Bernard College and Jacksonville State University.  Before becoming a priest, he taught math and science at All Saints and Sacred Heart of Jesus schools in Anniston.

In 1988, Fr. Holloway was recommended for Holy Orders by the faculty and staff of Notre Dame Seminary where he had been in formation since 1993.  He was ordained in May 1988 and assigned to Our Lady of Sorrows as parochial vicar.  Two years later, he was assigned to Holy Spirit in Huntsville and taught theology at Catholic High School.  In July 2001, Fr. Holloway was  assigned to St. Francis Xavier as parochial vicar.  Next, Fr. Holloway was at St. Francis in Tuscaloosa and St. Robert Bellarmine in Reform, AL.

In addition to being parochial vicar at PoP, he is also the Knights of Columbus chaplain and chaplain at John Carroll Catholic High School.

Father Johnson comes to us from the Diocese of Irinjalakuda in Kerala, India where he was ordained 19 years ago on December 26, 1996.  There he was a teacher educator at the teachers' training college as well as a priest.  Fr. Johnson was associate pastor in one parish and pastor in six parishes and also built a  new church, which was a herculean task to accomplish in a poor, rural area.

He has travelled extensively, visiting Germany, Italy, Israel, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and the Gulf countries and speaks English, Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam which is his native language. In addition, Fr. Johnson reads German and Latin! He has a bachelor's degree in theology and masters in philosophy in education. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, cricket, soccer and badminton

It was a sweltering Sunday morning, but nonetheless many service-minded parishioners showed up at Catholic Social Services garden to rake, mulch, weed and even cut down a tree!  Drive by and notice how bright and clean the CSS sign appears from the road.  That's also the work of our stewardship parishioners.

  

After lunch, Deasy Hall was filled with backpack-stuffing families.  They got the job done in a half hour, stuffing 600 backpacks for the upcoming (July 25) back-to-school health fair at PoP.

Later that afternoon, two teams of volunteers spent time with the elderly residents of The Oaks personal care home socializing and doing an art project together.

See more event photos at  our PoP Facebook page    ("Like" it while you're there!)

If you missed this day of service, don't worry because the service pillar is already planning another one for Advent.  If you're interested in joining a ministry of the service pillar, you can contact Bette Graffeo, pillar staff lead or Tara Wilkinson, pillar volunteer board lead.  Check out the ministry names and numbers on the PoP website.

 

Bigger and better than ever!  Our annual parish picnic will be held at Prince of Peace on Sunday, September 13 and we will also celebrate the opening of our new education building.  We are planning a great afternoon of fun, food and fellowship AND tours of the new building.  More details will follow - just make sure to save the date!!

We welcome Corey Kappler, 789-7957, as our new middle school youth ministry director and Jill Kent  426-1710 as co-ministry lead for WOW.

The widows and widowers ministry has changed its name to "Minus One" and invites any parishioner who has lost a loved one to join them.  Charlotte Shipic, 425-0061, leads this group. 

Interested in getting involved in a PoP ministry?  Check out the ministry organization chart on the church website for ministry lead names and contact information.  Do you want to start a new ministry or want to suggest a new ministry?  Contact Jill Spero, stewardship coordinator.

Just before Jesus' final entry into Jerusalem, his close friends, Martha, her sister Mary, and brother Lazarus, entertained Jesus at their home in Bethany (John 12:1-8).  Martha "served," while Mary anointed his feet.  It is in the simple statement, "Martha served," that we recognize Martha for her witness to stewardship.  She isn't a prolific evangelist, she doesn't work miracles.  She simply serves Jesus.

 

Jesus may have been a frequent visitor to Martha's home and perhaps this is one of the reasons the Gospel of John reveals to us that "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus" (11:5).  This unique statement in the Gospel informs us of the special relationship Jesus had with Martha and her siblings.  And, as another one of Jesus' visits to Martha's home affirms, Martha continues to be concerned that Jesus be served.  Like any good steward, hospitality was very important to Martha (Luke 10:38-42).

 

The feast of Saint Martha, a witness to service who confessed her faith in Jesus, is July 29.  She is the patron saint of homemakers, cooks, domestic  workers, waiters and waitresses, and hotel employees.

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