Dear Family,
Tuesday, November 1st, the Feast of All Saints, is a HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION. In addition to 8:30 a.m., we will also celebrate another Mass at 6:00 P.M. both in the Main Sanctuary.
It struck me that all the names I wrote down for our All Souls Novena beginning November 2nd, are already Saints. If Mom didn’t make it (after seven kids) then no one did.
BUT... the prayers and Masses that we offer for them now are a powerful way of saying “Thank You” to God for the gift of their lives. After all, isn’t that what Eucharist means? THANKSGIVING!
And speaking of thanks, our (and I mean OUR) special thanks go out to Elli Hurst and the wonderful crew who gave us Oktoberfest 2022. What a wonderful night! What a wonderful meal! I hope we never take those kinds of things for granted. I heard over the weekend that the crew had to do serious shopping for the brauts: raids on various Publix meat counters. And then those desserts! Restaurant Depot is a name we (I) shall never forget.
More thanks to Jennifer Sharpe who recruited the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from St. Anthony’s school who helped amazingly and generously. The kids were not only outstanding in their service, but so many people remarked just how pleasant all of them were. With kids like that, we can have a lot of hope for the future of this crazy world. If you know any of them, tell them they’re the best.
Mia Cameron, Rachael Cancilla, Claire Cerrone, Delaney Fowler, Kayden Garcia, Grace Leon, Un Ange, Leslie Ava Merlino, Molly Murphy, Reagan Myhre, Juliana Ramirez, Raffi Di Salvatore, Josie Sharpe, Catherine Sweeney, Marvin Zephrin
Shift gears. Under the heading of, “Do you ever wonder about...” every morning I say the “Morning Offering.” Remember?
“O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day,
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
for the forgiveness of sins,
the intentions of all my associates,
and in particular for the special intention of this month.
What’s the ‘special intention?’ Well, every month the Holy Father has a ‘special intention’ for which he asks all of us to pray. How do you know what that intention is?
Well, lo and behold, after one hundred years of using the book called the Daily Ordo which tells you the feasts of each day, etc., I realized that just before the first of the month, the ‘Special Intention” appears. So, from now on, I hope we shall remember to put that intention in the bulletin.
This month is very touching. It says:
The Pope’s Intention for November:
“For children who suffer. We pray for children who are suffering, especially those who are homeless, orphans, and victims of war; may they be guaranteed access to education and the opportunity to experience family.
My thanks to Annie and Nancy Adams for their guest Twitches. To quote Robert Burns, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley...” i.e. can get screwed up. Our vacations turned to stay-cations. Nevertheless, hope springs anew...
In Jesus,
