Express Announcements ~ November 6, 2016

Express Announcements ~ November 6, 2016

* The Health Ministry is working with Walgreen’s Pharmacy Department to provide flu shots for St. Mary Parish families. They will be here on November 6 in Room 100 of the Parish Life Center to provide the flu vaccine to adults, including the high dose for those over 65 and children 7 years and older.

* This year our Teaching Masses will be held on Wed, Nov. 9 at 5pm and on Thur, Nov. 10 at 6:30pm. All Religious Education students are expected to attend one of these Masses.

* An Emergency Preparedness Fair will be held in the Parish Life Center on Saturday, November 12, from 10am until 1pm. Come and meet local Emergency and First Responders. The event was organized as a Girl Scout Gold Award.

* St. Mary Preschool Open house will be held next weekend in the St. Mary Preschool, (Parish Life Center), next Sunday, November 13 from 9am until Noon, Please stop by and meet our wonderful teachers and learn more about our program.

* Please join us for our monthly Taizé Prayer Service this Monday, November 14, at 8:15pm. Now in our 9th year, we have met each month to pray for Christian unity in our  community and in the world. All Christians are warmly invited; invite your friends!

* St. Mary Adult Choir will be offering a free organ concert, Friday, November 18 at 8pm in the Church. Please join us!

* The second collection this weekend is for the Retirement Fund for Religious. We are asked to “Give to those who have given a lifetime.” Checks should be made payable to Saint Mary Catholic Church. To learn how your gift helps, visit retiredreligious.org

* Parish directories have arrived! Please stop by the parish office after 2pm Monday–Friday to pick up your copy. The 2016 Parish Directories are available to those individuals and families who participated in the program.

 

Express Announcements ~ October 30, 2016

Express Announcements ~ October 30, 2016

* Wednesday, November 2 is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed – All Souls’ Day. We will celebrate Masses at 6:30am, 9am, 12noon and 6:00pm. The 6:00pm Mass will be for the intention of all those who died in 2016 and their families. There will be a light reception in the Parish Life Center following this Mass.

* Remember to include your loved ones in our annual All Souls’ Day Novena of Masses. Envelopes are available in the vestibule or in the Parish office.

* The Second Collection next weekend is for the Military Archdiocese of America. Established by Saint John Paul II in 1985 to provide the Catholic Church’s full range of pastoral ministries to those who serve in the United States Armed Forces.

* This year our Teaching Masses will be held on Wed, Nov. 9 at 5pm and on Thur, Nov. 10 at 6:30pm. All Religious Education students are expected to attend one of these Masses.

* The Health Ministry is working with Walgreen’s Pharmacy Department to provide flu shots for St. Mary Parish families. They will be here on November 6 in Room 100 of the Parish Life Center to provide the flu vaccine to adults, including the high dose for those over 65 and children 7 years and older.

* Come to the Council of Catholic Women Annual Bazaar and Bake Sale on Sunday morning – Lots of great gifts for Christmas!

* Our Annual Frank Bautista Italian Night, hosted by the Knights of Columbus, will be held Saturday, November 5th after evening Masses in the Parish Life Center, Please plan to bring your family and join us for dinner.

From Our Pastor ~ October 30, 2016

From Our Pastor ~ October 30, 2016

Dear Folks,

This is a busy Church week. We have the holy day of obligation on Tuesday (All Saints) and the great feast of All Souls on Wednesday. Why are there any holy days? Why is the feast of All Saints such a big holy day? What does the obligation mean?

Holy Days: I often say that my life is ruled by Google Calendar, telling me what to do and when to do it. Our Calendars really shape and give direction to our lives. What direction is your life headed? Holy days are reminders that the ebb and flow of our lives is directed to heaven. Who has set the biggest days on your calendar this week, God or the world?

All Saints: Imagine that your grandmother were to be canonized a saint by Pope Francis. Your friends would all congratulate you, and you would joyfully make arrangements to go to Rome for the Mass and party. We have a feast to celebrate all of the uncanonized saints in heaven (All Saints) and one to pray for all those on the final step there (All Souls). This is the church celebrating your friends and relatives who have gone to God forever. We don’t have to go to Rome for the canonization, but can all gather in our parishes to celebrate our loved ones’ union with God.

Why obligatory? It flows from the nature of the feast, not from some imperial decree. If we don’t celebrate our loved ones, who will? This is a sign of our gratitude to those we love, and our hope for reunion with them one day. It is our love that compels us to attend Mass and worship God for his great work in our families.

Pax,

Signature

 

Fr. Mosimann

From Our Pastor ~ October 23, 2016

From Our Pastor ~ October 23, 2016

Dear Folks,

Are you bored?

One of the greatest conversions in history occurred because of boredom. St. Ignatius of Loyal was recovering from a cannonball to the leg, and bedridden. He was bored. Requesting romance novels, he was instead given a book of lives of the saints. He discovered a love worth living for. A huge part of that was him noticing that in contemplating the life and glory of the saints, that he was filled with lasting peace. Unlike when he filled his time with earthly pursuits that left him bored and empty afterwards.

Fulton Sheen speaks to this when he said, “You will never be happy if your happiness depends on getting solely what you want. Change the focus. Get a new center. Will what God wills, and your joy no man shall take from you.”

Are you bored? Find the love that will never end in the life of Christ.

Pax,

Signature

 

 

Fr. Mosimann