FROM THE PASTOR’S CORNER:
A word from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI ~ “The Church must introduce the individual Christian into an encounter with Jesus Christ and bring Christian into His presence in the sacrament.”
This weekend we celebrate the 29th Sunday in the Ordinary Time of the Year. We continue our sequential reading of Luke’s Gospel (Year C) and today hear the first of two parables on prayer found in Luke 18. The second parable is next Sunday’s Gospel. Each of the readings today gives us perspectives on persistence. Persisting in prayer does not simply mean praying continuously. Our prayer needs to be an expression of our faith – a faith based on our relationship with the Lord Jesus and a faith which trusts in God’s gracious love for us.
We continue our observance of Respect Life Month during this month of October. Several years ago our bishops designated October as Respect Life Month. Throughout this month, we are called in a special way to appreciate the gift of human life, to recognize threats against it and to seek to protect life at all stages from conception through natural death. Because our Respect Life beliefs extend from conception through natural death, our parish has many ministries that express our Respect Life values. Because we are a Respect Life parish,
…we participate in the “40 Days for Life” prayer campaign to end abortion.
…our Knights of Columbus sponsor the “Baby Bottles for Life” collection each October supporting Waterleaf, a Catholic pregnancy medical clinic and resource center located in Aurora, and The McGivney Center for Hope and Healing which offers housing and support for pregnant women.
… we promote and support “Project Rachel” – the Catholic Church’s post-abortion healing ministry for both women and men.
… we support couples expecting a child with prayer through our “Expecting Parents’ Prayer List.’
…we serve families with special needs children through our school and faith formation programs.
… we feed the hungry through our organic garden, food collections and Neighborhood Food Pantry
… we celebrate Mass in our area nursing homes on Tuesday afternoons and send Eucharistic Ministers to the nursing homes following the 8:30am Sunday Mass.
… we host PADS every Monday evening in the Ministry Center and welcome the homeless in the area.
…we regularly celebrate a seasonal “Mass with the Anointing of the Sick.” We also have an Emergency Line connected to our main parish telephone line through which a priest “on call” can be paged at all hours of the day or night for “Last Rites” or “Prayers at the Hour of Death.”
… we honor our deceased parishioners and support their families by celebrating the Rites of Christian Burial.
… we celebrate an annual Memorial Mass on or near All Souls’ Day (November 2nd) during which we prayerfully remember each person we have buried during the past year.
Today we have the opportunity to join the other parishes in our diocese and participate in the annual World Mission Sunday appeal. Funds collected through this appeal support the work of foreign missioners throughout the world. The World Mission Sunday appeal is an excellent opportunity for us to support the needs of the larger church beyond our own parish and Diocese. Envelopes for this appeal were included in the packets mailed to our homes, or you may use one of the white supplementary envelopes in the racks in the pews. As always, thank you for your generous support.
The Feast of All Soul’s (November 2nd) will be celebrated in less than two weeks. Our parish Memorial Book of the Dead is now available both the Church and the Chapel. You are invited to add the names of your personal beloved dead. They will be remembered on All Soul’s Day, at our Parish Memorial Mass on November 4th at 7:00pm, and throughout the month of November.
We are approaching the “peak season” of the autumn colors. God’s hand is apparent all around us. Let us take time to notice the beauty. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
Father Jim Murphy