Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Priesthood Sunday
This weekend we will give thanks to God for establishing the holy priesthood for the upbuilding of the Church.  Our Diocese is blessed that we have a diocesan seminary where men are trained as priests within our home diocese.  Our bishop is showing continued faith in our seminary as he is investing further resources in it to provide holy priests for the future.  It is for the renovation of the seminary building that the Heart of Shepherd Campaign is underway (more on that in the coming weeks on how we can participate). We are also blessed that seminarian, Sean Hocy, will be with us to speak briefly at the Masses.  He will be available after the Masses as well to answer questions and receive your expressions of appreciation. 
St Mary Seminary website - https://www.stmarysem.edu
Borromeo Seminary website - http://www.borromeoseminary.org

If there are any young men who are interested in learning more about the seminary, vocations, and how God is calling you please feel free to call me.  I am happy help you discern God’s call. 
Check out this website for more - https://clepriesthood.org

Also, we have parishioners including myself who are Serra club members.  The Serra Club is named after St. Junipero Serra, a missionary priest to the western coast of our country.  They aim to help people grow in holiness by fostering priestly and religious vocations through prayer and support. Check out this website and consider becoming a member - https://serraus.org

November 1 - All Saints Day Mass NOT Obligatory
As per the bishops’ liturgical regulations regarding holy days of obligation in the US, since this holy day falls on a Monday, it is not obligatory this year. It is still a holy day, but participating at Mass this day is not obligatory like it normally would be (I know it can be confusing, but … well … it is what it is).  So, there will be a sung Mass at 8:30am on Nov. 1. 
November 2 - All Souls’ Day Masses
While not a holy day of obligation, this is a wonderful day to prepare us for the month of November when we pray for the faithful departed in a particular way.  This is one of the few days of the year a priest is permitted to celebrate more than one daily Mass, so we will have our regular 7am Mass and then we are adding an Ordinary Form Mass at 5:30pm as well. 

Candles for the Faithful Departed
Like we did last year candles are for sale to show our prayers for the faithful departed.  The cost is $8.  The candle will have the name(s) of the person (people) one is remembering.  The candles will be on display throughout the month of November at the Sacred Heart Shrine.  On November 20 after the 4:30 Mass we will bless the candles and light them.  They will remain lit throughout the following week, and then on Friday November 26, the 8:30 Mass will be offered specifically for those remembered by the candles.  To order a candle fill out the form printed in the bulletin. 

Synod on Synodality
The Holy Father has called for an extensive period of focusing on “synodality” within the Church. There is a diocesan phase or listening and participation which will prepare bishops for a synod in Rome next year.  Check out this website for more info.  There will be updates from our bishop as well moving forward.
https://www.synod.va/en.html

“By walking together, and together reflecting on the journey made, the Church will be able to learn from what it will experience which processes can help it to live communion, to achieve participation, to open itself to mission.” - Pope Francis

We Got a Couple but Need Some More
Since I have included the request for volunteers the past couple weeks, we have had a couple responses, which is great!  But we could use a few more - Don’t be afraid! Each of us has gifts that God can use for the upbuilding of the church.  Perhaps He is calling you to be an usher or lector at Mass.  Maybe you would like to join our wonderful sacristans that help prepare the vessels for Mass and also clean up afterwards.  Perhaps you are partial to laundry?  Volunteers are needed to help launder the altar linens.  For younger folks, serving at the altar is a possibility.  We are in need of money counters to track the collections (the commitment for this would not be every week, but monthly) that come in from our generous parishioners.  Keep praying on it and call the rectory for more details. 

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Pfr