This coming Friday, November 1st , we will celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints which is a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be held at 6:30 am, 8:15 am, and 5:30 pm. It is a day when we honor the lives of all saints – those officially recognized by the Church, as well as countless others known only to God. As part of the Apostle’s Creed, we acknowledge our belief in the “communion of saints.” The communion of saints describes the spiritual union that exists among the saints in Heaven, the souls in purgatory, and the faithful living on earth.
The Adult Faith Formation Groups will begin a 3-week, videobased study on a program called Forgiven - The Transforming Power of Confession. Classes will meet 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM in Fatima-Gallagher Hall, Room 1, on Wednesday, October 30th; Wednesday, November 6th; and Wednesday, November 13th. Study guides are $6 each and may be purchased at the first class.
The three Readings today bring to mind the meaning of persistence. In the First Reading (Exodus 17:8-13), as long as Moses kept his arms raised (eventually with the help of Aaron and Hur when Moses got tired), Joshua and the Israelite army prevailed in their battle against Amalek and his army. In the Second Reading (2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:2), St. Paul reminds Timothy to remain faithful to what he has learned and believed. In the Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus uses the parable of the persistent widow to remind his disciples about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
From September 25th through November 3rd, you are invited to join other Christians who will be participating in “40 Days for Life.” This will be 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion. As part of our participation in “40 Days for Life,” parishioners are encouraged to engage in prayer, fasting and almsgiving, the three traditional means of penance.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the Our Lady of Fatima Miracle of the Sun Festivities so special. Special Thanks to The Cooperage for providing the main dish, to everyone who brought a delicious dish to share for the Pot Luck, to our Ministries for enriching our Parish Life, and thank you to the countless other Parish volunteers who are always there when we need them!
Our holiday drive for frozen turkeys, non-perishable food items and monetary donations has begun. Donations can be dropped off in the Parish Office, or your monetary donation can be dropped in the collection basket, however, please clearly mark that it is designated for our Thanksgiving drive. The non-perishable food will be used to re-stock our St. Vincent de Paul Pantry. THANK YOU for your donations and support!
Join us for a Spooktacular time on Friday, October 25, 2019 from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM in Fatima-Gallagher Hall. There will be food and many fun games. Tokens for food and games may be purchased at the Carnival. The drawing for the school raffle will take place at the end of the evening. You need not be present to win. Please come and help support our school!
Friday, November 1st is All Saint's Day. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass will be offered at 6:30 AM, 8:15 AM (Our Lady of Fatima School Mass) and 5:30 PM. Saturday, November 2nd, is the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Soul's Day). It is not a Holy Day of Obligation, but it would very appropriate to attend Mass and pray for the souls of the faithful departed. Masses will be offered at 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM. The 5:30 PM evening Mass on Saturday will not be a Mass for All Soul’s Day. It is the vigil (anticipatory) Mass for Sunday. A special envelope for All Souls' Day has been included in your offertory envelope packets on which you can list the names of deceased persons that you would like to have remembered at Mass on All Souls' Day and make an offering.
In our Second Reading today (2 Timothy 2:8-13) Saint Paul declares that “The word of God is not chained.” This message is written from prison, as Paul’s preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has landed him in jail and in chains. After his own conversion, Paul was willing to pay any price to bring the message of redemption to the ends of the earth. He suffered beatings, banishment, chains and imprisonment as a consequence of proclaiming the Gospel. The most prolific writer of the New Testament and the most travelled of any Apostle, Saint Paul literally went to the four corners of the known world of his day, to preach that there was a new and powerful way in which people were being called to live out their lives.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 15, 16 and 17 there will not be daily Masses due to the annual Priest Convocation. A Communion Service will be held each of those mornings at 6:30 AM. The regular Mass schedule will resume on Friday, October 18.
At the 12:00 noon Parish Fiesta Mass this coming Sunday, October 13th, a member of Our Lady of Fatima Parish will be presented with the Archbishop’s St. Francis of Assisi Award for outstanding service in our parish. Each year, the Pastors of the Archdiocese nominate a person or couple from their parish to receive this award, and this year, I am pleased to announce that I have selected Mr. Joe Vigil for this honor.