Why do we have a church?  Is it just a “religion club”? We can look at this in 2 directions:  

• what we receive, and 
• what we offer.

St. Luke at the end of his Gospel tells the story of 2 disciples walking on their way to a village called Emmaus. It is Easter evening, and they have questions and confusion. They know Jesus was crucified, but some people said that he was risen. They didn’t know what to think.

St. Luke tells us that they come to recognize the Risen Lord Jesus among them through:

• His Word,
• His Sacraments (the Breaking of Bread),
• His Community. 

And so do we today. We have a parish so that we might draw closer to Jesus and so that He can draw closer to us through: 

• Teaching His Word,
• Celebrating the Mass and Sacraments,
• Pastoral Care.

That is what we receive from a parish. Now let us look at the parish from the other direction.

We believe that after Jesus’ bodily Ascension into heaven, His ministry continues on the face of this earth through His Spirit filled disciples. We make the ministry of Jesus available to the people of this place and this time. There is a famous saying, “Jesus has no hands now but yours.” Ours are His hands reaching out, His feet searching out, His voice speaking out.

We are proud of the history of our parishes.  The first Mass in Dunlap was in 1867, and the parish formally began with the arrival o fits first permanent pastor in 1872.  In 1903 the parish in Woodbine was started as a mission church of St Patricks.  In the years since, the parishes have known good times and have faced tough times.  By God's grace and the efforts of generations of believers, we continue to build up the Kingdom of God in thie little corner of Harrison county entrusted to us.

We are proud of our history.  

We are excited about our future.  

And we are happy that you have chosen to join us on our journey!

I encourage you to find some activity to be a part of. Once you do, the parish begins to
                 feel more and more like home.