Dear Parishioners,

PLEASE NOTE: BECAUSE OF THE PARISH AUCTION ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, THE COMMITTEE HAS ASKED THAT WE MOVE UP THE 5:00 P.M. MASS TO 4:00P.M. ON THAT DAY ONLY. SO, PLEASE NOTE, NEXT SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, CONFESSIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM 2:30 – 3:30 AND THE VIGIL MASS FOR SUNDAY, WILL BE AT 4:00 P.M. THAT DAY. Also please remember that it is “fall back” weekend here in the US, at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, it will become 1:00 a.m. Thank you.

This weekend we celebrate the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Faith is a leap into the unknown. It is a risk that requires trust in something beyond self. Each one of us entertains doubt on some occasion. We have moments when we feel abandoned, in exile or alone. This weekend’s Gospel provides a model for what we are to do in times of lonely uncertainty: Take courage, reach out and call to Jesus. Ask for what you need. Speak what is in your heart. The Lord hears and wants to do great things for us.

Next weekend we will celebrate the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings next Sunday 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.

Masses for the communal celebration of the Anointing of the Sick will take place at the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, October 27 and the 9:30 a.m. Mass Sunday, October 28.

Holy Day of Obligation: All Saints Day, November 1, is a Holyday of Obligation. Our Masses will be at 6:30 a.m., 8:15 a.m., 12:10 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. We don’t have a vigil Mass for this Holy day.

All Souls’ Day: The Day after All Saints is All Souls Day.  We will have an additional Mass at 7:00 p.m. that day, remembering, in a special way, all those who have died this past year and were buried from Saint Monica. May they rest in peace. Invitations were sent out to the addresses of family members that were recorded at the time of the various funerals. I hope you have responded to that, to assist us in our preparation for the reception following. Thank you. It is a LONG tradition that a PLENARY INDULGENCE, applica- ble to a Poor Soul, is offered by visiting a Church or a Cemetery on All Saints’ Day, after noon, though the end of All Souls’ Day. All you have to do is pray the Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father. You should also go to Confession and worthily receive Holy Communion two weeks (either way) from All Souls’ Day.

The Ministry of Lector: On Thursday, October 18, I was able to concelebrate the Mass where Mr. William Smith, of our parish, a candidate for Ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacon, in 2020, was installed as a Lector by Bishop Rivituso. After the reform of the Liturgy following the Second Vatican Council the Lector’s “job” is done primarily by non-ordained / non-installed Lectors, both men and women. The Lector is to proclaim the Word of God on a regular basis and assist with those programs that will encourage a better study of Sacred Scripture. Bill will be serving more often as a Lector in the months ahead, officially using the ministry to which he has been installed. His primary “ministry” here at St Monica now as he prepares for Ordination is being a student! Most of his time is taken up by that … so I don’t want to put too many other things on his plate. However, please pray for him (and his family) as he continues his preparation to be ordained a Deacon.

Building the Domestic Church: This is an initiative of the Knights of Columbus to (hopefully) have better Catholic – Christian homes. Jeremy Lancaster has been appointed the Knight to chair this. Here are some thoughts he has asked that I put in my column.

Changing the world starts with changing how we perceive God’s Word within our own family. To do this requires us to view our own family as a Domestic Church. Accordingly the Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring a program called ‘Building the Domestic Church’, a series of family-focused initiatives de- signed to strengthen the bond between faith and family and provide an understanding of what it means to live daily life as a Christian family. Through this program you, as a family, will bring God’s message of

love home with you from Mass through communion, prayer, and love. The booklet “Building the Domestic Church – Family Fully Active” provides a step by step guide to get started; please take a copy and read through it if you have not already done so. (They are available in the main lobby in the Knights of Colum- bus literature rack.) The decision to become a Domestic Church is not time consuming, and it does not require an in-depth theological understanding of the scriptures. All you need is a few minutes together.

Each month you will reflect on a theme (joy, hope, hospitality, marriage, etc,); each session consists of a prayer and reflection, a short reading, and a family activity to incorporate the theme. Your bond as a family will become tighter as you learn to apply the scripture to themes. Please consider this program for your family. You will see and hear more information in the weeks to come about various prayer programs, study groups, and other family-focused events that will take place throughout the year.

 I realize that this is just the start of the program, but we hope that this, together with the Pastoral Letter by Bishop Olmstead of Phoenix, Into the Breach, will assist all of us in our attempt to be a better Catholic family by study, prayer, and activity.

The Convocation: Finally I can get some small space to report on the Convocation that was attended by around 200 Archdiocesan priests at Tan-Tar-A at the Lake of the Ozarks, October 8 – 12. Many commented that it was more of a retreat and sessions for encouraging the priests to be good and holy priests than previous Convocations which were based on improving pastoral skills, e.g., preaching, counseling, new trends in Scripture Study, and the like. With common Morning and Evening Prayer, with beautiful Masses, superb homilies, and two holy hours during the three full days we were together, not to mention a full Day of Recollection presented by Cardinal Tim Dolan of New York, we were all encouraged to do a better job with our pastoral lives in light of our prayerful priestly lives. The meals were great. The weather was mostly very nice. The camaraderie was evident. Hopefully this will lead us to a stronger brotherhood among our Archdiocesan priests … especially in light of all the “troubles” we have had recently. HOWEVER, we were asked to be sure that YOU continue to PRAY for us! So, please do so.

I’m writing this prior to my departure for a four day “mini retreat” at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Since you will be reading this after my return, I hope that it was a good time to prayerfully reflect on issues presented by our retreat Master … and building on the material from the Convocation.

Faithfully yours,

Fr Joe Weber