Happy November All of You Saints of God!!!
What a wonderful string of days we are celebrating! On Saturday we hosted our second annual Trunk or Treat where about 150 monsters, princesses, superheroes, costumed kiddos of all kinds AND their families Trick or Treated at 25 awesomely decorated trunks after 4:00 Mass! The weather ended up being just right and EVERYONE had so much fun being together. And I'm not sure about the Trick or Treating in your neighborhood last night, but it was our best Halloween in about 10 years!!! I think that families and neighbors are just so happy to be together again, to RECONNECT. And isn't that a little bit of what All Saints and All Souls Days are about?? They remind us of our connections to one another. We are a community of saints; the ones who have come before us, the ones living among us (including US), and all of those yet to come. We are not alone!! The Holy Spirit is keeping us all connected! All Saints/All Souls Day are two of my top reasons why I love being Catholic!
Take a peek at this short video from James Martin about All Saints Day:
Saints aren't just prayer partners, they are also role models of lives marked by a desire to grow in holiness, NOT perfection! We, too, are called to grow into the person God created us to be, and that's just what our canonized saints did. Check out these fifteen 50-90 second "Little Lessons from the Saints" for some inspiration:
Ladies, you say you just can't get enough of the Saints??
Then please join us as Corinne Cathcart helps to illuminate the lives of the "4 Teresas" through prayer, art, reflection, and meditation on November 20. For more info and to register please visit the website:
All Souls Liturgy Opportunities
Yes, All Souls Day is November 2, but we are celebrating November 3
1. Wednesday, November 3: Memorial Mass for Sr. Theresa at 8:30 am
2. Wednesday, November 3: Evening All Souls Prayer at 7:00 pm
*Reception to follow
**Be sure to check out the altar cloth at Wednesday evening prayer. The names on it were written by parishioners at our Back in the Swing of Things weekend and during the month of September, and then Pam Gandy embellished it with a gorgeous edge. What a gift! Thanks Pam!
NOVEMBER-TUNITIES
Visual Faith Practice
Have you ever wondered what it means to “pray” the Bible or how the words written 2000 years ago apply to your daily life? If so, consider joining Lyn Pajk for 4 sessions of faith sharing, employing The Visual Faith Practice as a jumping off point as we use images to connect Scripture to our lives and faith stories. We begin November 9 at 7:00.
Our next Laidback
Book Club
begins November 7.
Details can be found on the Parish Website. If you aren't interested in joining the Facebook group, no worries. We will have an end of the book discussion in early December. Find more info here:
Support the Youth Outreach Team AND Have a Really Tasty Saturday Night Dinner
And maybe order a wreath to support the Team as well!
And Speaking of Wreaths...
All Souls Prayer
Today at our Faith Formation Team Meeting, Christine, our Middle School Youth Minister led us in a beautiful prayer. Perhaps, tomorrow, you might want to light a candle, think of all of your loved ones who have died and then pray:
"Into your hands, O Lord,
I/We humbly entrust (say the names of your loved ones aloud)
In this life You embraced them with Your tender love;
Deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest.
Amen."
“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
Wishing you the joy of knowing that each day is a new opportunity to become all that God has created you to be... lyn