Come and listen! Enjoy original poetry presented by members of the St. Francis Adult Education Program and the parish community.
This free program will be held
Monday, October 16,
from 6:00 to 8:00 PM,
in the Francis Room of St. Francis House.
In these first two Christian millennia, countless peoples have received the gift of faith, brought it to flower in their daily lives and handed it on in the language of their culture. Whenever a community receives the message of salvation, the Holy Spirit enriches its culture with the transforming power of the Gospel.
The history of the church shows that Christianity does not have simply one cultural expression, but rather, ‘remaining completely true to itself, with unswerving fidelity to the proclamation of the Gospel and the tradition of the church, it will also reflect the different faces of the cultures and peoples in which it is received and takes root.’ In the diversity of peoples who experience the gift of God… the church expresses her genuine catholicity and shows forth the ‘beauty of her varied face.’
A king had a wedding feast for his son and many were invited, but they refused to come. This is what today’s Gospel is about. It ends: “Many are called but few are chosen.” You may ask yourself, “What is this all about? It doesn’t make sense.” Focus on the word “invited” and the reality that God invites us. He invites us to be part of “the way, the truth and the life” that Jesus shows us. But with an invitation, there is a need to respond. We are called to respond daily by the way that we live and follow the Gospel way of life. At some point in our life, we said “yes” and were Baptized and Confirmed, but it necessary to give this “yes” daily- each of us fulfilling our vocation whatever that may be. When we say “yes” each day, we come to know that we are “chosen.”
The weekend of October 28-29, we will have our annual “State of the Parish” presentation. We began this meeting to let everyone know the number of registered people in the parish, the various ministries, the blessing of many volunteers, new ministries and nances. This meeting will show how we continue to grow, what challenges we face in the future, and a closer look at our finances. There is much that goes on behind the scenes and this will give you an idea of what we deal with every day. We have so many blessings and are grateful to God, especially for you, our faithful parishioner. Come and learn more.
Next Sunday at 2 PM, our Fatima, Spain and Lourdes Pilgrimage will be meeting to go over the details of the Pilgrimage and this will give everyone a chance to meet each other. We have 55 people going on this Pilgrimage. It is sold out!
-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.
We are asking everyone to strive to commit to 2.5 % of our income to support the mission of the Church. Please, if you haven’t done so already, make your commitment now.
Here is the chart to help you see what a 2.5% offering to the church looks like.
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi will observe Columbus Day on Monday, October 8th with Masses at 8:30 and 11:30 AM.
There will be no confessions, and the church offices will be closed for the day, including the St. Francis Adult Education Center.
“Being church means being God’s people, in accordance with the great plan of his fatherly love. This means that we are to be God’s leaven in the midst of humanity. It means proclaiming and bringing God’s salvation into our world, which often goes astray and needs to be encouraged, given hope and strengthened on the way. The church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, forgiven, and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.”
In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul says: “Have no anxiety at all.” I wonder what was happening in the Christian community at Philippi for him to write this. Certainly, this admonition is valid even now. He encourages the people to remember what they have been taught and what they believe and hold fast to it: “Keep on doing what you have heard and seen… then the God of peace will be with you.”I thank you for your generous response to the recent disasters. You gave generously in the donation boxes in church and through the mail. Over $8,000 was sent to Catholic Relief Services, which has a great reputation for “being there” for the people. We have also started a fund to help our Franciscan Friar, Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez, O.F.M., in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Any donation put into the donation boxes in church or sent here will be matched by Holy Name Province for Archbishop Gonzalez.
-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.
