October 10, 2021
Dear Friends in Christ,
Thank you to all who participated in any way with our Fall Festival. Thank you to those who donated your time, talent or treasure (monetary gifts or items for auction, etc.). Thank you to those who bought & sold raffle tickets, especially those who sold a large number of tickets. Thank you to the Knights of Columbus who cooked the great barbeque dinners, the Scouts who prepared the food for bingo and those who worked bingo. A huge thank you once again to the core leadership team of Joy & John Onorato, Dana & Guy Pike and Patrice & Kye Krus. See p. 5 for the raffle winners.
We are in the month of October which is dedicated by the Catholic Church as Respect Life Month. Traditionally, it addresses the ending of life, like abortion, capital punishment & euthanasia. These are very serious moral offenses. But the U.S. Bishops have and are bringing our attention to the serious & sinful behavior of domestic violence—see p. 8. The Bishops rightfully condemn the use of the Bible to support abusive behavior in any form. We are reminded that man & woman were created in God’s image (Gn. 1:27), and that God is love which includes no hate, no violence, etc. There are so many Old Testament passages that condemn violence against one another, including Psalm 11:5 “the lover of violence (Yahweh) detests.” All domestic violence goes against the basic teaching of Christ: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another (Jn. 13:34).”
The U.S. Bishops do not expect people to stay in abusive relationships. The Catechism of the Catholic Church #1649 states: “Yet there are some situations in which living together becomes practically impossible for a variety of reasons. In such cases the Church permits the physical separation of the couple and their living apart.”
In light of last weekend’s readings on marriage & divorce, I encourage you to contact myself or one of the deacons about your marital status, if you were not married before a Catholic priest or deacon (with no allowance by your Catholic bishop). The examples can be numerous: whether you, as a Catholic, are married for the 1st time or subsequent time(s) before a non-Catholic minister or you are divorced & not in any new relationship. We will listen to your marital history and investigate what might be done to assist you. Sometimes, the process may be easier than you think. Other times the process may be more challenging. But you will never know unless you ask.
I ask you to pray for our high school candidates who are in their final preparation to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on November 10th by Cardinal DiNardo. I also thank all those who have taught the various sessions in the last 2 years & those who assisted with their Confirmation retreat that occurred at the end of September.
Parents, remember you are the first teachers of your children in all things, especially with faith (Catechism #2221-#2231). So often, parents may feel inadequate in parenting, as well as in teaching your child so much. Unfortunately, there is no instruction manual that comes with pregnancy or birth. Hopefully, parents reach out to others whom they trust for wisdom and advice. Hopefully, that is also true with faith development. Please reach out to our parish education team for assistance & wisdom. But what are you as parents doing to educate yourselves more about the Catholic faith? Our parish offers at different times of the year several educational opportunities. Currently on Thursdays at 6:30 pm, we have an Apologetics course to learn more about our Catholic faith. It is intentionally scheduled at that time so parents can drop off their children at CCE, and you can attend class to learn. What a great witness to your children, that both child & parent are in class learning about Christ & His Church. But this Apologetics course is not limited to just parents. Anyone can attend.
I encourage you to sign up for the upcoming Ladies (Oct. 16 & 17) & Men’s (Oct. 23 & 24) W.A.T.CH retreats. What a wonderful way to refocus and renew your relationship with Christ.
A suggestion to our expectant parents: plan to attend the baptism class our parish offers prior to the birth of your child. Life becomes even more full once the baby arrives. Securing a baby sitter while you as parents attend the baptismal class can be challenging.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!
Fr. Lawrence W. Jozwiak
Pastor
“The Cross is the school of love.”
—St. Maximilian Kolbe
“There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” John 15: 13