IT’S ALREADY HIS – As we continue in this Stewardship Awareness season, last Sunday’s Gospel brought a strong awareness of God’s great power throughout the world, even in surprising people; and yet for us who belong, “the bar is high” as far as our personal conduct, and our devotion to working for God’s kingdom. Many can do God’s work without even knowing it, but for us who do, our works and our living are always with this power in mind, and the hope that they further his reign on earth in all peoples’ lives.

On this Sunday, when the Gospel highlights Christian marriage as a form of this dedication, and the need to embrace- children,we hear a message from one of our fine parish couples with four children, Allen and Rebecca Ernst, about their choices to express gratitude to God. I’m very excited about it. You who are parents will recognize many mo- ments of choice about parenting as a Catholic family. They, and so many like them here, keep God at the center of their family life, and live it out concretely in our parish.

This is the week then you’ll get the second mailing of our Stewardship season, the Stewardship Covenant Card. It has spaces to indicate your Offertory Gift from this time forward; and also your Time and Talent in one of our minis- tries. I hope you each take a few minutes in prayer to assess your ability to return to God a portion of your treasure in a new Offertory pledge, and your time in one of our ministries. (You could continue in one, jump into a new one, or get out of one you’ve done for awhile.) Even if your Offertory Gift or your time and service will not change, fill out the Card, and return it to Mass next Sunday. Your reflective filling out of this card, and returning it, is really the heart of the Stewardship time.

Let’s enjoy the fun and community time, and ask God to make us even more Grateful and Generous. Then reflect on, and make a note of your offerings to God this year. I ask you to return those cards at Mass October 8, or else deliver them to the Parish Office.

The last couple of weekends we’ve had The Big 3 services here. Beyond the Masses and confessions, Baptism, Mar- riages and funerals are distinctly Catholic parts of the life of a parish. Monsignor had a wedding and a Baptism one day, and a funeral later; last Saturday I had the Baptism of four children of one of our school families and also the funeral for Joey O’Connell. These are all joyful times in the life of our parish, and we thank the families for allowing us to celebrate with them.

Monday is the Feast of St. Francis Assisi, so important to the spirit and holiness of the Church. About 2:30 p.m. we’ll have a blessing of pets, those that can be brought up by the parents, or any parishioners. It’s really true that Francis had some ability to communicate with animals beyond what we ordinarily do. I’ll be glad to bless these creatures who bring us so much companionship and joy.

Monsignor Blood and I will be flip-flopping the next few weeks. This week he’ll be on a Study Week on the Scrip- tures, and then goes into retreat the next week; then I’ll go into retreat. Please pray for us. We have all weekday Mass- es covered, except for some Thursdays when there will be a Communion Service, after reaching out to a number of priests who are scarcer then before. Keep track of this in the bulletin.

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