Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
St. Paul’s “4th Journey” Initiative
As part of this year’s evangelization effort we are in need of volunteers to help reach out to fellow parishioners.  The goal is to reach ALL of them as best we can, including those that we have not seen in a while.  In part this is a practical matter of verifying our records and to know just how many parishioners we have.  This is difficult since the church is not “big-brother” keeping tabs on everyone, and not everyone thinks to stay in contact with the parish if things change. Perhaps people move away, or some become sick or home bound without our knowing.  Sometimes people fall away from the faith and think it’s too hard to come back.  Well, Jesus calls us to reach out!  This is what St. Paul’s life in Christ was all about! So we want to follow his example.  We are calling this “St. Paul’s 4th Journey.”  From St. Paul’s Letters scholars say that St. Paul took three separate missionary journeys as he spread the Gospel among the Gentiles.  We are under his patronage and we can embody a “4th journey” as we proclaim the Gospel. 
Volunteers would be expected to attend a short training to familiarize them with our goals and then to make 5-7 phone calls per week for about 8-10 weeks. Please the rectory know if you want to help!
 
This weekend you will see the first phase in action.  We will have some of our volunteers at the Masses with some surveys to ask you a few questions.  They are very brief so stick around a few minutes and maybe even meet someone new!  We will do this throughout November in order to have face to face conversations with those who regularly attend Mass here.  After that the phone calls will begin to others on our registry list. 
 
For the Holy Souls
This month is a special month to pray for the holy souls in Purgatory.  Feel free to visit the Sacred Heart statue at the north end of the church where our Book of the Names of the Dead is placed.  Please write in any names for whom you would like to pray.  At the Masses this month we remember them in a particular way.  In addition after all Masses this month I will lead us in a brief prayer for the faithful departed.  The prayer can be found on the front of the bulletin.
 
Akron Area Interfaith Council
In conjunction with our 100th Anniversary, please join us on Sunday, November 10, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. in the church and Parish Activity Center as we welcome the Akron Area Interfaith Council to St. Paul Parish.  This inter-religious sharing of cultures is titled “Beyond Tolerance Voices of Many Faiths” and promises to be enlightening and entertaining.  I hope to see you there.
 
Sincerely in Christ,
 
Fr. Pfr