Thursday, November 2, is All Souls Day. If you would like to remember a deceased friend or loved one on All Souls Day, we a have special card available at the reception desk for an offering of $5.00 each or can be ordered ONLINE HERE.

The cover of the card features a photo of the Angel of Redemption from the Sorrowful Mother Shrine.

The inside message reads:

A Spiritual Gift in Loving Memory of

_________________________

will share in a special remembrance in the prayers and Masses
celebrated by the Franciscan Friars at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on All Souls Day.

Blessings at Thanksgiving is a special card to help support the Franciscan Friars at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. You can give a gift in honor of a friend or loved one and have them remembered at Mass on Thanksgiving Day. This card is available at the reception desk in the lobby of St. Francis House for a offering of $5.00 each or ONLINE HERE.

“…Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” says Jesus in today’s gospel from Matthew. The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus, which they tried to do many times. Jesus asks for a coin with Caesar’s image and inscription, and gives the response quoted above. The Pharisees should have known better; we are created in God’s image and likeness. We belong to God, not to Caesar, but in order to survive in the culture of that time, payment to Caesar was a necessity whether they liked it or not. There were so many times that Jesus uses these moments to teach his values and his truth. This is a good reminder to all of us that first and foremost, we belong to God and that following Jesus, we believe in his values and his way of life.

A special thank you to all who have gone online for their weekly offering to St. Francis and to those who have been giving online for many years. Thank you also to those who increased their Offertory donation. Many parishioners have commented that they didn’t know that we have to raise such an amount of money yearly. We understand if you have a limited income, but the days of giving $1 in the collection are over for most people. We appreciate your cooperation and generosity.

Don’t forget that the State of the Parish will be held after the 4:00 PM Mass on Saturday, October 28, and after the 5:00 PM Mass on Sunday, October 29. The presentation is about 45 minutes.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

There are collection boxes in the church marked for Hurricanes Relief Donations.

San Juan Archbishop, Roberto Gonzalez, O.F.M., a Franciscan Friar from Holy Name Province, has requested our help to alleviate the su ering of the people of Puerto Rico.

All funds received by the ministry sites of Holy Name Province before October 22 will be matched by the Province and sent to Archbishop Gonzalez for direct assistance to those who have lost so much.

Please be as generous as you can, and thank you for helping our brothers and sisters in their time of need!

To date the Church of St. Francis of Assisi has collected over $11,000 for hurricane relief which will become $22,000 with the match! Thank you to everyone who has donated!  There is much that needs to be done in Puerto Rico, please add your help to the money we have already collected.

You can make your dedicated donation here.

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.