Published 08-18-24

FR. DAN SHAUGHNESSY

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are blessed.  We are a Jesus Christ-centered community nourished by the Sacraments, allowing us to be partakers of God’s Grace. 

As I write this bulletin column, I am on Day 10 of my new assignment here in Wentzville. I shared in an awesome chicken dinner last night and was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit, manifested in the joy-filled hospitably at St. Patrick. As you all are aware, our community here in Western St. Charles County is experiencing exponential growth. To that end, our St. Patrick Building Committee, established by Fr. Brian, is in the early stages of land acquisition of properties to the north of the existing campus; this effort began in earnest in May 2024. The goal of the land acquisition is to develop a masterplan for the entire campus (old and new) so that this parish community can more adequately serve our flock (than we are currently able to do) for the next 5, 10, 25, 50 years and beyond. 

In the coming months, we will be hosting town hall meetings to gather input from all of you about what your hopes and dreams are for the St. Patrick Parish Community.  As pastor, my initial thoughts are that this masterplanning study (to commence in the next 6 months) will be a road-map for the next 10 years here of growth here at St. Patrick.  During this process, both the parish office and the building committee will provide regular updates; will offer complete transparency; and will be open to your feedback.

You might ask, “Why is the parish acquiring land so quickly after Fr. Shaughnessy’s arrival?” And the answer to that is simply this: it was going on before I arrived.  Nonetheless, fair question!

That said, I am exceedingly grateful that I was assigned here from July 2012 to February 2015. It’s a huge advan-tage for me that I already know so many of all of you!  God is good and He is way ahead of all of us. If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. He knows way more than we do. With each day I am here, I can see God’s plan unfolding for this incredible parish community. I feel so privileged to be your pastor, serving with Fathers Skillman and Detwiler. 

Thank you.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Dan Shaughnessy