Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we celebrate the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The days are growing shorter and (hopefully, soon!) the weather will be getting cooler, although the forecast is for temperatures in the 90’s early this coming week! Soon it will be time for the harvest. As disciples of the Lord, we are called to assist in a special harvest. Today we hear Saint Paul call his disciple Timothy to “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith love, patience, and gentleness.” Wise words for us in 2019! May we pursue these virtues so that what we harvest will be good and holy.

Next weekend will be the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Next Sunday is the National Observance of Respect Life Sunday. Next week we wil hear Jesus use the image of the mustard seed. The mustard seed is tiny – not much larger than a grain of sand – yet when planted and nurtured, it grows into a large, strong tree. It takes time, though. As we look around, may we ponder how all of us were once the size of a mustard seed, but now, loved and nurtured, we have frown in body, mind, and spirit.

Missionary Plan of Cooperation: Thank you for the hospitality shown to Father John-Mark Igboalisi, OP, a priest of the Nigerian Dominican Province, who was here last weekend to make an appeal for the Dominicans in Nigeria. The collection for Father John-Mark, and the Dominican Province in Nigeria, will be taken up today, using the envelopes that were stapled to the bulletins last weekend. Thank you for your generosity.

Adult Faith Formation: This new effort to help us all grow in the faith will continue on October 11th, after the 9:30 Mass until 11:15 AM. The meeting will be in the Cry Room / Chapel until the Msgr. Schneider Hall renovation is completed (first meeting there is tentatively planned for November 10th). We will meet on the Second and Fourth Sundays. I hope that some of you will be able to attend and learn more about our faith.

Confirmation for our 8th graders will be celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Robert Hermann on Wednesday, October 9, with a special celebration of Holy Mass at 7:00 P.M. Again this weekend there are the names of the candidates for the Sacrament in baskets by the exits. I ask that you take a candidate’s name and pray for him / her in a special way these next two-plus weeks. If you would like to drop him/her a note, that would be great! Please prayerfully consider doing that for these candidates! Thank you. Regarding Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament, it will end at 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday, October 9th. We obviously can’t have exposition during the celebra- tion of Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Saint Francis of Assisi: His Feastday will be on Friday, October 4. Since it is a half day for school that day, on THURSDAY, October 3, at 2:30 P.M., by the gymnasium entrance, we will reinstitute the blessing of animals … normally your pets …dogs, cats, etc…, but all animals are welcome. Our full time school third graders will be performing a little play about Saint Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio. Following the play we will have the blessing of the animals. ALL parishioners and families are invited … not just our school families!

Mass Changes coming: This is the week with our new morning Mass Schedule. On Monday to Friday we will only have the 6:30 A.M. Mass, except on Wednesdays, during the school year, when we will have an all school Mass at 8:15 A.M. (Please note that in addition to the daily 6:30 A.M. Mass, I also have a Nursing Home Mass each Tuesday afternoon around 2:00 P.M.) Effective October 5, there will no longer be an 8:00 A.M. Mass on Saturday mornings. (There will be an 8:00 A.M. Mass on All Souls Day, Saturday, November 2.) (Periodically there will be an additional “all School Mass” notice will be given to you in the bulletin.)

I looked up the Mass times from our neighbors, via https://www.archstl.org/find-mass-times. So that you don’t have to look them up, the weekday Masses at our neighboring parishes are: Incarnate Word: Monday – Friday: 7:00 A.M. and 8:30 A.M. Saturday: 8:30 A.M.

Saint Anselm (Saint Louis Abbey): Monday – Thursday: 6:30 A.M., 7:30 A.M., and 5:45 PM. Friday, 6:30 A.M. and 7:30 A.M. (No 5:45 P.M. Mass) Saturday: 7:30 A.M. and 8:45 A.M.

Our Lady of the Pillar: Monday – Friday: 7:30 A.M. Saturday: 9:00 A.M.

Holy Spirit: Monday – Friday: 6:30 A.M. Saturday: 8:00 A.M.

Saint John Bosco: Monday – Friday: 7:00 A.M. No Saturday morning Mass.

Saint Richard: Monday – Friday: 8:15 A.M. No Saturday morning Mass.

I hope this helps. There will be Perpetual Help devotions after the 6:30 A.M. Mass on Tuesdays and the only day with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament between Masses will be on Wednesdays, and only during the School Year. Masses that have been previously scheduled for 8:15 Monday – Friday or Saturday 8:00 A.M. will be celebrated by either Fr. Kristian Teater or Fr. Donald Henke at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

Building Updates: The partitions should be installed the week of October 11. The elevator installation will begin around October 13th. It should take up to five weeks to be completed. As you have seen from the pictures we are also going to “cover” the northwest entrance, aka “the choir entrance,” to the Church. That work should start in mid-October. The biggest change for us is that while that construction is taking place (on the weekdays), you will not be able to use that entrance for daily Mass. It should be fine for the weekend Masses. It looks like we will be able to have the All Souls Reception, following the 7:00 P.M. Mass on All Saints Day, Friday, November 1 (a Holyday of Obligation this year!) in the “new” hall. We are planning on having our first Sunday Coffee and Donuts in the “new” hall on Sunday, November 3.  Even though the elevator won’t be operational by then we will be able to use the hall.  (I’m sorry that the Silver and Golden Anniversary dinner will have to be [most likely] in the cafeteria this year. The construction is taking longer than originally anticipated.) All in all, I hope and pray that you will all be pleased with the renovations and improvements, especially the new elevator.

Faithfully yours, Fr Joe Weber