August 17, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters, How many people will there be in heaven? I’m sure it’s something we’ve all wondered about every so often. The Church’s tradition on this point is a bit complicated: God desires the salvation of every human being, but he also respects our freedom of choice to be with him or not. That complexity is the reason why Jesus sort of brushes off a question about someone who wants to take a census of heaven’s population. His basic point is that instead of getting distracted by questions that are way above our paygrade, we should focus in on two things: making sure that we ourselves get to heaven, and doing everything we can to bring as many people along with us as we can. This principle touches on many aspects of our life of faith, from our Sunday celebrations to our individual prayers to our works of charity. For this weekend, I’d like to ask everyone to think about the second part: how do we get as many people to heaven with us as possible? We’re currently in the process of starting our OCIA program for the year: our “new members class,” the main way that we respond to the needs of people seeking unity with Christ and his Church. (This has been called “RCIA” for many years, but the US bishops decided to rename it “OCIA” a couple years ago, and the new name is still percolating.) We will have an inquiry session on August the 26th at 6:30pm, and the formal program will begin September the 9th (a week after Labor Day). As a part of our focus on mission this year, I invite everyone to think and pray about anyone you know that might be interested. I’m sure we all know someone that has questions and would like to learn more about God. As a second step, please give them a personal invitation to come to St. Thomas and check out our OCIA. And for anyone reading this who might be considering becoming Catholic, as well as Catholics who need to finish your sacraments, you are also very welcome to join us. It is a tremendous joy every year to walk with people who are experiencing God’s presence in new ways, and I look forward to getting to know you. Through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of Apostles, and our patron St. Thomas, may we all find the wisdom and courage to bring someone in our lives to the Lord Jesus. God bless,

Father Jantz