Your Stories

- Rachel Van Sickle Wrubel - March 9, 2025
  Dear Parishioners and Visitors,
  
  Every time I open Apple News or Facebook, I’m filled
  with a mixture of rage, fear, anxiety, and despair that
  feels like a ball of electric energy in my stomach. A
  friend of mine recently visited in an attempt to cheer us
  both up. He feels even worse than I as he witnesses the
  hard won and fragile rights of the LGBTQ+ community
  being dismantled faster than my daughter can knock
  over a tower of blocks. He said he feels as if he’s living
  in an alternate reality where the Stonewall Riots never
  happened.
  
  All of this is to say, we were in low spirits and needed
  the Lord when we arrived at Sunday Mass (Psalm 34:18
  “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the
  crushed in spirit”). Now, Mass always makes me feel
  better, but both of us remarked how special this
  particular Sunday was. It wasn’t Father Richard’s
  homily (no offense!). Rather, it was the fellow
  parishioners who brought joy to our hearts. As my
  friend Jack said on the drive home, “We all choose to go
  to St. Paul’s.”
  
  The mom dashing in at 10 a.m., baby nestled in a
  carrier, toddler in tow. Same-sex couples. Traditional
  families. The young and old. People of every
  background, culture, and hue. We all come to St. Paul’s
  —drawn, I suspect, by the message that our parish “is a
  place of belonging for all” where “we celebrate and
  honor the dignity of every person.”
  
  In an increasingly unwelcoming world, it’s deeply
  reassuring to be around others who embrace inclusion,
  who are trying their hardest to follow the true teachings
  of Christ. Simply, “‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
  There is no commandment greater than this.” (Mark
  12:31).
  
  Rachel Van Sickle Wrubel
  Parishioner