It is the Month of October, which is the Month of the Holy Rosary and Respect Life Month. In so many ways the two go hand in hand since the Rosary is a very powerful weapon against the evil of abortion. The Rosary will be prayed every Wednesday afternoon during the month of October with our school children (please check the bulletin for exact time). After the Rosary there will be Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome to join in the praying of the Rosary. The Rosary is also prayed In the morning at 7:30 AM before the 8 AM Mass in the Chapel of Divine Mercy. October is time of prayer for the end of the evil of abortion and that means praying for all those whose lives are so deeply hurt by this evil: mothers, fathers, family, friends, as well as those unborn innocent children whose lives are destroyed. To work, pray, and fast for a greater respect for human life in our world should be of the utmost importance to all of us because this lack of respect for human life IS affecting all of our lives, whether we realize it or not. This lack of respect for human life will have very serious and harmful effects on the lives of our children and grandchildren if we do not do something to restore a greater respect for human life from the moment of conception to natural death.
Today is RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY! I invite you and your families to join me and others in the Life Chain right here in Wadsworth at the corner of High Street and Great Oaks Trail from 2:00 to 3:00 PM THIS Sunday afternoon. We will be on both sides of the street right around Get Go and Arby’s. You are invited to gather on the sidewalks at the intersection for this prayerful demonstration against the evil of abortion and the support of those mothers and fathers who suffer as a result of abortion. Please gather at about 1:30 PM so that we can begin the prayers at 2:00 PM. All are encouraged to participate in this public display of our faith in God and in prayer. We need to stand up for life and let others know we respect life from the moment of conception to natural death and we pray that we will elect leaders who do the same. Please feel free to bring your children, too.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS! On October 28, 29, and 30 we will hold our annual Solemn Eucharistic Devotions which will begin on Friday, October 28, 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 Evening Prayer and a procession with the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday, October 30, beginning at 5 PM. Our homilist will be Fr. Joe Menkhaus, recently ordained Parochial Vicar at St. Bernadette Parish in Westlake. 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.
Please make every effort to attend or at least make a holy hour during this special weekend of prayer. This is a very important time for our parish community especially in light of the Eucharistic Revival initiated by the U.S. Bishops on the Feast of Corpus Christi in June. We must make every effort to deepen our devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We are very blessed to have perpetual adoration in our parish. It should be very helpful and comforting to know that we can go to the Chapel of Divine Mercy any time we feel the need, day or night. Not many parishes have that blessing. This is possible only because of the devotion of so many people who are willing to sign up for an hour. We can always use more volunteers to sign up for an hour of prayer especially during the night hours. We have them all pretty much covered, but it would be much better to have at least two people for each hour. It is just something that I would like more people to consider prayerfully. Jesus is asking us to spend one hour with Him in prayer. One hour out of 168 hours in a week is not that much to ask. Pray and think about it.
Thank you for your support with the Altar and Rosary Society “CASH” raffle. Because of your support the A&R raffle tickets have been sold out. The proceeds from the raffle help the A&R Society to continue to do their work in providing care of the altar and all “behind the scenes” activities that really helps our parish community in the worship of God each day. The ladies work very hard to provide many things for the altar and sanctuary that many do not think about. Thank you for supporting the A&R Society and possibly you may win some extra cash for yourself!
Convocation: On October 5, 6, and 7, the priests of the Diocese of Cleveland will gather in a convocation. Please pray for Fr. Pat, myself, and all our priests during these days. Since the priests will be gathering during these days, Deacon Roger will be having a Communion Service on the three days at 8 AM in place of the morning Mass. Sorry for any inconvenience.
