NEXT WEEKEND! On October 18, 19, and 20, we will hold our annual Solemn Eucharistic Devotions which will begin on Friday, October 18, with a special school Mass at 9:30 AM. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will continue on the main altar throughout the weekend, and we will have our Solemn Closing with Mass and a procession with the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday, October 20, beginning at 5 PM. Our guest homilist for the closing Mass will be Fr. Michael Garvin, Parochial Vicar at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma. Fr. Garvin was ordained to the priesthood this past May. Those preparing to receive their First Holy Communion and Confirmation will also join in our procession to honor the Eucharistic presence of our Lord. Please make every effort to be a part of this special weekend of praise and prayer as we give thanks to God for the gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist.
NEXT WEEKEND we will celebrate World Mission Sunday. Pope Francis invites the entire Church to support mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Europe, where priests, religious, and lay leaders serve the world’s most vulnerable communities. Please keep the Pope’s missions in your prayers and be generous in next week’s collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Last Sunday you received the summary of our annual financial report to the diocese. As you heard in the report we are doing okay financially, but we could always do better because we never know what is waiting around the corner. We have a lot of facilities here that vary greatly in age. We continue to strive to improve what we have so our facilities can be used to deepen our faith and build up the kingdom of God here on earth. We are truly meant to spread the Gospel as much as we can. The work on the lower level of the church continues and should be completed in about a month or so. The portions that are complete have turned out very nicely as I am sure McMahon Hall will be when completed. Our general contractor and fellow parishioner, Pat Boyert, is doing a very fine job on the renovation and has done so in such a way that has kept the cost down. Doing this kind of renovation work continues to become more and more expensive as I am sure many of you are aware.
Our school continues to do very well. With the help of Ed Choice and Angel Scholarships, the Parish subsidy has decreased. I hope more families will take advantage of the fine Catholic education that we do provide. Thanks to these scholarship opportunities, a Catholic education has become more affordable.
We could always use a little more help financially. You may want to consider a small increase in your weekly contribution, for example, $5. It is not that much to an individual, but if a lot of people increase their contribution by at least $5 that really adds up. Please prayerfully consider making your contribution a sacrifice so that you may express your gratitude to God for all that He has given you. Thank you for all that you do for our parish family. A special thanks to all the members of our Finance Council, Joe Turk, Leah McNeill, Kevin Haas, and Kirk Gegick, as well as our business manager, Jeff Flaherty, who do a great job and are very committed to our parish.
LIFE CHAIN 2024: I am very grateful to all those who turned out for the Life Chain last Sunday. This is a very important witness to the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Life is the most precious gift that God has given us. He created each of us out of love and for a purpose. He has a plan for each one that He creates, and we do not have the right to take that life away. We must continue to pray and speak out about this most precious gift and use our right to vote in such a way that it gives glory to God and respects His plan for each of us. When we vote there are many issues to consider, but the most important issue is to protect the right to life. If we do not have respect for life, then what else really matters? Just look around the world and we can see where the lack of respect for life is taking us.
