Today, we begin a busy month in the life of our parish. I wanted to highlight some important days and events:
All Saints and All Souls November 1
st marks the Church’s observance of All Saints Day and November 2
nd marks All Souls Day. I have always loved how the Church, in Her wisdom, put these two important observances back to back. One day we honor the blessed saints of our tradition whose heroic virtue and grace-filled lives have stood out to the extent that the Church has seen fit to raise them to the level of sainthood. The very next day, we call to mind those blessed souls who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. These are two days to recall those who have stood out in the our Christian tradition and in our personal lives.
National Vocations Awareness Week During the week of November 4
th, the Church in the United States places a special emphasis on Vocations Awareness as we pray for those who are in formation for the priesthood and religious life. We pray, too, that men and women from our parish will respond generously to the call of the Lord to labor in the harvest. Our
diocesan vocations website has some good resources and pictures of our seminarians. I am grateful to John and Becky Cascino who are now leading our vocations awareness and support efforts. Their son, Charlie, is in formation for the Capuchin Friars in Cleveland, OH. There will be a gathering on December 6
th at 6:30PM in the St. Teresa Room of those interested in praying for vocations and brainstorming ideas about how we as a parish can better cultivate vocations. All are welcome to attend, including families. For more information,
please contact Becky Cascino at 724-822-0278.
International Fair and Liturgy Our first International Fair and Liturgy will take place on Saturday, November 10. The theme for this event is “Faith, Food and Fun.” This day is designed to show forth and celebrate many of the various cultures and traditions that are present in the parish. There will be food from different countries, display of faith traditions and culture, crafts, traditional games, live music, dancing, dancing lessons and a lot of fun. The events will begin at 12:00PM in the Friends and Family Hall with cultural displays and food samples from many places around the world up to 2:00PM. Afterward, dancing, live music and cultural expressions will be performed until 4:45PM. We will celebrate a special liturgy that night at the 5:15PM Mass. For more information on ways to participate in this Fair, please contact: Mary Ennis at 919-428-8600 or Deacon Luis Royo at 919-942-6239. I extend my thanks to all those who are involved in the planning of this event.
Thanksgiving Our parish Thanksgiving liturgy will be celebrated at 9:30AM. It really is one of my favorite liturgies of the year. We come together as people from across the parish community to begin our national day of gratitude by celebrating the Eucharist. The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” The Mass is the thanksgiving ritual par excellence. We, the gathered community, through words, ritual, song, praise and adoration, give thanks to the God who formed us, nurtured us and continues to sustain us. Our custom each year is to give the entirety of the Thanksgiving collection to those in need. This year, we will give the collection to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh for use in hurricane relief in the New Bern and Wilmington areas. We will also continue the tradition of bringing forth food for the hungry to the sanctuary at the offertory.