There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

I begged my mother for an annual pass to Disneyland as a tween. Decades later, I’m glad she never relented and here’s why:

Our family went to the happiest place on earth often enough. Every other year or so, we’d go down the night before and book a cheap motel nearby so we could be there for the “rope drop.” I’d run to the newest addition to the magic kingdom to ensure we could all experience the latest/greatest that the Imagineers had conjured: Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Toontown, Indiana Jones...

And that was precisely Walt’s dream,

Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.

This meant that every time we made the trek to Anaheim, there was something new and Fantasmic! to experience—and at the same time, the heritage and legacy of a boat ride through “a world of laughter and a world of tears” was still beloved and cherished.

St. Monica has another year of imagination ahead. And what excites me most is that our next dream is renewing a place where stories (another thing that Disney does so well) will be told: where the next generation of animators, musicians, storytellers, and imagineers can flex their creative muscles and hone their craft. A place to be inspired and called to action by voices longing to make a difference in our community and world.

Our dedication to Together in Mission has been outstanding—we met our goal for 2021 and have a modest increase for 2022. Called to Renew is an opportunity to pour our dedication and commitment right back into the five-acre community devoted to our patroness and city, Saint Monica. The pandemic brought and continues to bring many lessons—how will we respond? Hopefully, with open hearts, open minds, and open imaginations—knowing that the growth of our parish will never be completed.