For more than 140 years, St. Mary’s has been an outpost of faith—a place where people come to know, love, and serve Jesus, and a place from which we are sent out to share Him with the world. Everything we do as a parish exists for this purpose: to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel. To be faithful evangelists, we must remain deeply rooted in Christ. As Pope Paul VI once said, people listen “more willingly to witnesses than to teachers.” Our credibility in sharing Jesus flows first from our own relationship with Him. That is why, at St. Mary’s, we strive to keep Jesus at the center of all that we do.

And when we remain fully invested in Him, God does incredible things in our parish life. This past year we witnessed His grace in countless ways:

• Sacraments of New Life: We celebrated 33 baptisms (almost double last year’s number). We also welcomed 7 into Full Communion with the Church.
• Moments of Renewal: Our parish hosted well-attended Lenten and Advent Missions, drawing people deeper into prayer and conversion.
• Service to Others: Through ministries like Feed My Sheep, parishioners prepared and served hundreds of meals to those in need.
• Youth and Families: Our youth ministry programs are growing, bringing young people closer to Christ. Our parish school partnered with parents to provide a Catholic education for over 200 students.
• Outreach: We have a monthly family fun night that allows our community come together in a relaxed setting open to all.

At St. Mary’s, people of every age discover a place to belong. They find community. Most importantly, they find Christ. God has blessed our parish richly—and together, as disciples, we continue to share those blessings by making His presence known in Temple and beyond.

Thank you for your participation in this great work!

You can read a full account of our parish’s financial stewardship here. 

In Christ,

Fr. Will Rooney