Sacred Heart parish has a team of pilgrims in the Dominican Republic this week on a mission trip. Members include: Pat and Kate Collier; Dale, Marissa and David Rescott; Ed, MaryBeth and Mike Galka; Pat Messina; Penny Anderson; Meghan Churney; Kathleen, Mary and Shawn Doyle; Lynda and Frank DeOrio, and Charlie Greene.

They have a busy schedule which includes painting a school and some homes, visits with the families and games with the school children. They left this past Wednesday and will be returning Tuesday, July 29, so please keep them in your prayers.

The Lunches with Love ministry is happening again this summer in the Holy Family School building from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to coincide with the Clothes Closet hours. This group is busy making nutritious lunches to go, and the people who visit are so appreciative of this small but meaningful expression of faith.

Many thanks to Teresa Hoercher and the entire lunch team, as well as all the parishioners who made donations for this program.

If you are looking for a pre-school for your child this September, St. Joseph School still has openings for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds with many options for 2-, 3- or 5-day a week programs. For further information, call the school at 253-8327. The caring pre-school staff at St. Joseph School will make you glad you did.

Five Auburn churches are combining efforts for a free week-long “Family Fun Festival” at Auburn's Clifford Park from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each night the week of Aug. 18 through 22. First Presbyterian, St. Mary's Roman Catholic, Auburn United Methodist, United Church of Auburn and Westminster Presbyterian Church are the five sponsors of the “Family Fun Festival,” a new and improved approach to Vacation Bible School.

Families and children are invited to come to Clifford Park (the former “Y Field”) at the corner of Swift, Steel and Mary streets each evening at 6 p.m. for crafts, games, music, Bible stories and more.

Thursday night's activities include enjoying the city-sponsored concert by “Entourage” in the park. A closing picnic will be held on Friday evening. The focus of the “Family Fun Festival” will be learning to be good citizens by caring for others and caring for the environment, with a special emphasis on Owasco Lake. Representatives from Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA) will be present to explain ways everyone can ensure the water quality of Owasco Lake.

The “Family Fun Festival” is free, but voluntary donations will be collected for OWLA as a mission project.

There will be a special Polish Mass at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, at St. Hyacinth Church. This will be in honor of Donna and Jim Malinowski's 41st wedding anniversary. All are welcome.

St. Francis Church's 102nd annual Parish Festival to honor the Assumption of Our Lady will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday Aug. 17. There will be great food, raffles, music, games and children's activities, so be sure to mark your calendar.

Also, don't forget that Sunday, July 27, is Baseball Chapel at Falcon Park at 4 p.m.

Guest speaker will be Brett Charsky, a military chaplain stationed at Camp Drum with the 10th Mountain Division. He has been in Iraq with our military forces and will be deployed to the Middle East again.

There will also be music provided by Freedom Village, Harvesters and Joe Bordonaro.

In addition, fireworks will follow the game, so be sure not to miss this great event.

Have a great week, and remember God loves you so much.

“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in the world today, than for bread.”

- Mother Teresa.

Denise Bennett is a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Auburn. She can be reached at deniseb132@yahoo.com