Too often in our world we come across more and more people who expect more, and at the same time appreciate less. This time of the year can truly counter that way of acting. We especially need to realize how many blessings God has given us, and show our gratitude to God. I hope that you will join us on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, to say Thank You to the God who has given us everything! We’ll have Mass at the Cathedral on this day at 9 AM. 

You will find that as we come to know one another, I like to share with you poems that help us to celebrate the various holidays and feasts of the year. And to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving Feast, I found a poem which speaks volumes about this day:

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses. 

Count your joys instead of your woes; 

Count your friends instead of your foes. 

Count your smiles instead of your tears; 

Count your courage instead of your fears. 

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean. 

Count your health instead of your wealth; 

Count on God instead of yourself.

~~Author Unknown~~

May all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!

In Christ and Mary Immaculate, 

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary will be holding a Holy Hour in honor of Bishop Sirba on the first anniversary of his death on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 from 6-7 PM.  All from the Duluth Deanery are invited, but all attendees must RSVP here. The Holy Hour will be livestreamed for those who are not able to attend in person.  

Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine on him .... 

As covid-19 cases increase in our area, it is a good time to make sure we are all taking the precautions that are in our control.  

Face Masks: Wear a face mask when you are at church. If you are not able to wear a face mask, please obtain a face shield.

Hand Sanitizing Before Communion: When you come up to communion, you will notice there is hand sanitizer in the aisle. To make sure we are doing things safely, first pull down your mask, then sanitize your hands prior to receiving communion.    

Cleaning the Pews: After Mass, please sanitize the area in which you are sitting. Sanitizing wipes can be found in the side aisles. Thank you.

Thanksgiving Day Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral on Thursday, November 26 at 9 AM.  There is no 7 AM Mass at the Cathedral or 12:10 PM Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea that day.  

On Friday, November 27 Mass will be celebrated at 7 AM at the Cathedral and 12:10 PM at Star of the Sea. 

The Parish Offices will be closed both Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27.  

The musicians of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary invite you to join them for the first annual Festival of Lessons and Carols on Monday, December 14 at 7:00 PM. Through nine lessons in word and song, join our instrumentalists and small choir to sing familiar carols and enjoy beautiful songs reflecting upon the Advent and Christmas Seasons.
This year our event will be virtual, accessed via the Cathedral’s livestream at duluthcathedral.com. Since we are not able to sing together in church, let this be an opportunity to participate from the comfort of your own home in whatever capacity is most meaningful to you! We hope this will offer you an evening to let Christ’s light shine through the darkness and become a treasured part of your year.

As our liturgical year comes to an end, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King on Sunday, November 22. We call to mind what we have been learning in faith formation this year about prayer. Have we become complacent in our spiritual lives and in our family’s spiritual lives? We must not! We need to work hard every day, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to draw ourselves and our families closer to Jesus Christ.

We acknowledge the kingship of Christ by dedicating ourselves to prayer and to the building up of our families and parish community. Look for opportunities to volunteer. Even during these turbulent times there are opportunities to donate (the Giving Tree is one example), to volunteer (St. Francis Commission is still involved in helping the Union Gospel Mission) and to pray for others. (St. John’s & St Joseph’s have a prayer chain). Help build up the kingdom of God and your parish community by taking part in these or other worthwhile endeavors.

There are no faith formation classes during Thanksgiving week. Classes will resume on Wednesday, December 2, with our K-5 classes.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

God Bless, Sonya Morris, Director of Faith Formation

St. Vincent de Paul Immaculate Conception Conference meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month via Zoom at 6 PM.  Email svdpduluthmn@gmail.com for the meeting link, questions or more details.  You are invited to join us in this ministry of experiencing God in serving our neighbors living in poverty.

The Knights of Columbus is an international Order of Catholic men who are called to lead with faith, protect our families, serve others and defend values in a busy changing world.  Our local council # 15761 recently held a membership drive at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Mary Star of the Sea and we might have missed you.  Whether you become an individual member or a member of our council you will find that Knights of Columbus membership brings Catholic men together in a powerful way.  If you would like to join today, simply go to KofC.org/JoinUs and enter our council #15761 for local information.  For further details call Bob Spehar 218-349-5051.

Sacristan, ushers, and head usher needed for Saturdays and Holy Days which is usually the evening Vigil Mass. Now that public masses have resumed we are looking a few more individuals or couples to help with this ministry. Training will be provided.

If you are willing to serve in any of these important ministries, please call or email the office:  218-722-3078  or stmarystarofthesea@duluthcatholic.org

St. Mary Star of the  Sea has been serving the communities of Bayshore and Franciscan on the Point for the past few years. The residents would appreciate a card or letter. 

Bayshore Residence & Rehabilitation Center

1601 St. Louis Ave. 

Duluth, MN 55802

Franciscan Health Center

3910 Minnesota Ave.

Duluth, MN 55802

One of our diocesan priests, Fr. Ben Hadrich, had a stroke and letters and cards are requested. He is a grandnephew of Dcn. Ted Windus.  Thank you.   

Fr. Ben Hadrich

Courage Kenney

3915 Golden Valley Rd. 

ME 78440

Golden Valley, MN  55422

This year Stella Maris Academy is rallying to be Sentinel Strong. We are grateful for our strong school community and our supporters. We wish to express our gratitude through our newest initiative called the Sentinel Strong/Kind Hearts project! Our Sentinels are performing Sentinel Acts of Kindness for our families, friends and neighbors. We invite you to participate, too! Reach out to a family member, friend, or community member with a small act of kindness yourself. Then if you wish, please share your kindness story by emailing Teresa Kenney at teresa.kenney@stellamaris.academy. We would love to hear from you! Our school community is hoping to perform over 300 Sentinel Acts of Kindness.  If you wish to support our student’s efforts in this and other faith formation and service projects throughout the year, you can make a contribution to our Fall 2020 Giving campaign. A contribution directly supports these efforts. www.stellamaris.academy/give 

The eastern Duluth Catholic Parishes are working in a collaborative effort to create a combined Religious Education program and are accepting applications for the Director of Faith Formation for 6^th – 12^th grade students. This is a full-time position with benefits. We are looking for someone who possesses a sincere and demonstrated ability to share their Catholic faith in the dynamic environment of a large scale middle and high school religious education program and beyond. Please see the full job description at https://www.duluthcathedral.com/s/employment.  If you are interested in this position, please send a cover letter, resume and references to lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org.

God Our Father,

 

In Jesus, your Son, You have given to your Church the perfect model of priest, prophet and king, and so You have blessed us through His sacrifice, taught us through His Word, and guided us through His rule.

 

We thank you for the previous bishops who have cared for the people of the Diocese of Duluth. We ask You, father, to guide and enlighten those who will be tasked with helping to choose the next bishop of our diocese. May the man they choose be a man of deep and true prayer, a man of compassionate heart and firm resolves, and a man of joy and peace, who desires above all to do your will.

 

We entrust our prayers to our Patroness, Mary, queen of the Rosary, and ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.