Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we celebrate the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings this week- end call us to listen to the word of God that makes clear the new law of love. Rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and confirmed in these readings, the commandment that matters most is to love God and to love one another. There is no need for ritual sacrifice but instead we are called to carefully make God’s love the center of our lives.

Next weekend we will celebrate the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. No matter how many times we say we trust in the Lord, we often live as if we are in charge of our own lives and dependent only on our own talents. We will be reminded next week that not only are we called to live in utter surrender and dependence on our Lord, but we are to give from our very poverty to those who are in need. We must trust God will provide for us as we empty ourselves to care for the poor and the oppressed. It is a risky way to live but it is the life of faith and trust to which we are called.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who worked so hard, participated, spent money (!), and enjoyed them- selves at the Parish Auction last night. Obviously this is written well before the event, but looking at the responses for the invitations, the gifts given, and the beauty of the gym, I can only hope (and pray!) that it was a GRAND SUCCESS! May emeralds shine in our coffers in the weeks ahead!

Obviously there will be a full reporting as time goes on, but, again, many thanks to all who were involved!

Election Day: Tuesday is Election Day. PLEASE VOTE! Finally the negative ads will end. Several friends suggested that we ban negative ads and allow the candidates to tell us what they will do … not what their opponent didn’t do. Oh well, it is part of America at this time.

The Roman Catholic Bishops of Missouri have urged all Catholics to vote NO on Constitutional Amendment 3 this coming Tuesday. Part of the Bishops’ statement reads as follows: We oppose this initiative, however, because it contains no limitation on the types of research that could be funded by the taxes generated. The significant funding stream created by this initiative would not be subject to legislative appropriation or review and could be used for research involving the destruction and use of embryonic stem cells or aborted fetal remains. This we must oppose. The entire statement is available at the following web address: http://www.mocatholic.org/wp-content/ uploads/2018/10/Statement-in-Opposition-to-Amendment-3-medical-marijuana-biomedical- research.pdf

USCCB General Meeting: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2018 Fall General Assembly in Baltimore, November 12-14.

The assembly will begin with an address by Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston- Houston and President of the USCCB and also an address by the Papal Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre. The body of bishops will then adjourn to an on-site chapel for a full day of spiritual discernment and prayer. This will be followed by a Mass celebrated Mon- day evening at the site of the assembly.

During the assembly the bishops will discuss and vote on a series of concrete measures to respond to the abuse crisis, including those approved for the agenda at the September meeting

of the Administrative Committee, such as a third-party reporting mechanism, standards of conduct for bishops, and protocols for bishops resigned or removed because of abuse. The bishops will also hear reports from the National Advisory Council and National Review Board.

 

With all the problems we have been facing recently please pray for the bishops during their meeting. All of the bishops have been asked to pray and fast during this coming week (from November 5 – November 11) for these intentions:

  • For the healing and support of all victims of clergy sexual
  • For the conversion and just punishment of the perpetrators and concealers of sexual
  • For the strength of the bishops to be holy shepherds in protecting and leading our sheep from all harm.

I would invite all of us to do SOMETHING in prayer or in penance (or both) to support our Church Leaders as they tackle these weighty problems. Thank you.

Prayer Service for Healing of Survivors of Physical, Sexual, or Emotional Abuse: As announced several times, and again on page 5 of this week’s bulletin, Archbishop Carlson will be here on Tuesday evening at 7:00 P.M. for a prayer service seeking healing for all those who have been abused in any way. All are invited to come and pray for all victims!

Retreat: The retreat that I attended on October 22-25 was an outstanding reflection about the Diocesan Priesthood. As one of the oldest priests on the retreat, both in Ordination and in age, it was interesting to see how some of the younger priests reacted to Father Ronald Knott’s presen- tations. Father Knott was ordained in 1970, so he’s six years ahead of me. We were educated around the same time, he at Saint Meinrad Seminary, me at Kenrick Seminary, and the results were pretty much similar. Father has made it his primary ministry, now that he is “officially” retired as an active priest in the Archdiocese of Louisville, to present retreats and workshops for priests around the country. He taught many years at Saint Meinrad and was very successful in helping young priests make the transition from being students, and transitional deacons, to being full-fledged active members of a diocesan presbyterate. Most of the priests on retreat with me  are at “one priest parishes.” Father used Lumen Gentium, from Vatican II, as well as the Docu- ment on the Priesthood from Vatican II, and Saint John Paul II’s “post-synodal exhortation,” Pastores dabo vobis, as his starting points. All are available FREE, on-line at Vatican.va, the Vatican website. They are worth reading and praying about to say the least.

Vacation: I will be leaving Monday morning and returning on the evening of Wednesday, November 14, for a few days away in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Please pray for a safe trip and time for a good “r and r.” Father DePorres Durham, OP, chaplain and teacher at CBC, will be here for Confessions on Saturday, November 10 and he will be doing the 5:00 P.M. Mass that day. All you Cadets, past and present, be sure you come and greet him.

Faithfully yours,

Fr Joe Weber