August 9, 2023

Last weekend we had our pared-down, one-day, Parish Bizarre. It was a great day. Although not the 3-day extravaganza we have had in years past, it was a great time of coming together as a community and enjoying one another’s company. Remembering that we went to a smaller event due to the difficulties in getting the same number of volunteers that came out years and even decades ago, I am doubly mindful and appreciative of those who made this years event possible.

Historically, these parish festivals throughout Northwest Denver were a crucial part of keeping our parishes afloat. They came out of. world in which most people had a lot less money but more free time than the average parishioner in today’s world. These days, even while we gripe about the economy, the percentage of the population buys their morning coffee at a cafe or coffee shop as opposed to previous generations is astronomical. I think of my parents who would never have considered any alternative to brewing their own at home. A cup of coffee out was a rare occasion. So while I’m not suggesting we all have money to throw around, we do tend to have more money and less time than previous generations.

So in an age when people had less money to give, they gave time. It was part of the “offertory” that kept the parishes afloat. Nowadays, people are able to give more financially and less of their time. And so these large events are less about funds raised and more about building community.  While financial giving is important and very appreciated, it often doesn’t help the individual feel quite as connected to the community as spending time accomplishing something with fellow parishioners.

This is why I’m so incredibly grateful for the volunteers who showed up to help with this year’s Bazaar. Unlike the past when one to two hundred volunteers may have showed up and donated 3 or 4 hours each, the present patterns seems to be a few dozen volunteers who show up and give 12 or 16 hours over a few days (and some even give more!). Those who show up and put up tents, tables, chairs, the putt-putt golf course, make sure there’s electrical wires run, coordinate the delivery and set up of portable-rest-rooms, shop and help pick up or organize groceries, set up children’s games, bake various goodies for the Altar and Rosary booth all come together to put in dozens of hours of time well ahead of the day.

Then the “day-of” their are people doing the “short-order” cooking and serving of food, running games and other booths, selling tickets and running interference for all sorts of momentary crises! It’s truly a work of the village. And while I always hope that we get more volunteers in the future, my real point here is that those of us who enjoy these days should take a moment to recognize more fully the volunteers in our community that were able to give this gift to the rest of us, especially given that we all know that one of our greatest poverties today is time.

So I hope you will join me in thanking all of those who pulled themselves out of the daily stream of demands that we all experience, and gave a all of us a few hours of their lives. It is a precious gift and I hope we all recognize the sacrifice and respond with heart-felt gratitude.

God Bless,

Fr. Pat