Dear Parish Family,

On this 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we reflect on the Beatitudes which Jesus preaches at the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount. The thread tying all the Beatitudes together is humility. Humility is an attitude and stance that requires great courage and compassion on our part with a heartfelt tenderness and affection for others. Humility is the virtue par excellence of heaven. No one is more humble than God! With the Beatitudes, Jesus calls us to robe ourselves in this Godly attitude of humility.

Remember that St. Mary's has a First Saturday Mass at 8:30 am. Since this is new in 2026, I thought I would offer a short reminder about the Mass scheduled for this Saturday, February 7. Daily Mass is a great spiritual practice to keep our hearts and minds centered on God's Word and Eucharist. Please consider coming to daily Mass throughout the week, or on First Saturdays if you work during the week and cannot make it to daily Mass. More frequent participation at daily Mass may be a good Lenten discipline to consider as well as Lent approaches!

As you prepare to file taxes this year, please remember to make an investment in the Angel Scholarship Fund. The State of Ohio literally lets you direct up to $750 ($1,500 for married couples filing jointly) of what you owe in state income tax to a school of your choice in our diocese for tuition scholarships. St. Mary School had the most contributions of any school in the diocese last year! We are doing so much good for our families, teachers and students with this funding. Let's keep up the strong momentum and grow our fund! Visit https://www.stmarychardon.org/asf for more information.

Finally, please keep our second graders in your prayers as they prepare for First Reconciliation this Saturday! We priests assist with First Reconciliation at many parishes throughout our diocese. It's a powerful Sacrament for these young disciples, as well as for their parents who return to the Sacrament of Confession perhaps for the first time in many years. 

I am yours in Christ,

Fr. Scott Goodfellow