My Dear Friends,

I was overjoyed at the positive response last week to the Opening Masses for the Synod in which we will all seek to discern where the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church and to listen both to the Spirit and to each other. Our Holy Father has asked us to “listen, one to the other and all to the Holy Spirit.”

Last Sunday, Father Omar and I told you that more information for how we could participate in the Synod would be coming in the bulletin, and well, here it is. We will be holding two Parish Consultative Sessions in the month of November. The session in Spanish will be held on Thursday, November 11th at 7:30pm, and the English Session will be held on Thursday, November 18th at 7:30pm. Both sessions will take place in Comber Hall. We will also be holding individualized sessions with our young people, our school faculty, Religious Education, and with our school parents.

At each session we will gather to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance and listen to our responses to reflection questions that have been prepared by Archbishop Wenski. The answers to these questions will be compiled by three parishioners who have been representing the parish in the Synod and have been doing exceptional work. They will prepare a report of our responses that will be presented to the Archdiocese and then up the line for consideration from Rome. Our Pope, our Church, wants to hear from you! Please join us for these Spirit-filled sessions.

In other parish news, and this is is kind of last minute because it just fell from heaven last week, we will be hosting an exhibit of Eucharistic Miracles and Blessed Carlo Acutis this coming Tuesday, October 26 in Comber Hall. The Exhibit will be from 5pm – 9pm with a formal presentation at 7:30pm. I invite you to join us in seeing this exhibit of Eucharistic Miracles and learning more about this remarkable soon to be young saint.

Finally, today we celebrate World Mission Sunday which is so close to my heart because of my summers as a missionary before I entered seminary. We will have a second collection today to support the Society of Propagation of the Faith which oversees missions throughout the world. I ask you to please be generous as we support those who are taking the message of the gospel to parts of the world where it is sorely needed.

God bless you all,