Boxes are located at the entrances of our Churches for the 21st annual Stockings for Soldiers collection sponsored by the sixth-grade class at Notre Dame de Lourdes School. Suggested items for the collection include:
Food products: 8oz. or less packed meals – tuna, lasagna, beef-a-roni, etc. / granola, fruit bars, breakfast bars / cookies, nuts, pretzels, trail-mix / jerky / candy / fruit snacks / flavored drink mix packets, hot cocoa, coffee / ramen noodle bricks / chewing gum
Toiletries: small size lotions / foot powder/ sun block/ toothbrushes / small toothpastes / razors / baby wipes / lip balm / (no hand sanitizer, bar soap, or aerosol cans)
Other: Paperback books / pocket games / puzzles, sudoku, crossword / pens / fly swatters
The collection concludes on Friday 8 November. Thank you for your generosity and support for our troops. Blessings!
We thank the Knights of Columbus Peace Council 4518 for their recent visit to our parish. The Knights of Columbus, founded in 1882 by Blessed Michael McGivney, are dedicated to charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. The Knights provide a strong positive witness to the Catholic faith through their defense of the dignity of the unborn and all human life, and protection of religious liberties throughout the world. The Knights, additionally, offer temporal services in response to the needs of the impoverished as well as assistance for those recovering from natural disasters. The Knights lead a quarterly rosary at Our Lady of Peace Church on the fifth Sunday of the month at 10:45 a.m. The next fifth Sunday is on 29 December, a prayerful way to count your blessings for the year and to prepare spiritually for the New Year. We thank the Knights for reminding us of all the good that occurs in our parish and community.
We also thank our friends at Marvil / Lyons Funeral Home for their gift of glass votive candle holders for our candles. We have candles in front of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph / Sacred Heart, The Pieta, and in front of St. Anthony / Padre Pio. The plastic containers that house the candles can, and frequently do, melt along with the candle. The metal casing of the rack assures safety, but charred plastic isn’t high up on the aesthetically pleasing list. The requested $1 donation for each candle helps to defray the cost of the candles. Thanks again to Marvil / Lyons for keeping our worship spaces luminescent and safe and thank you for trusting in the power of prayer and the sacramentals of our Church.
One of our smart goals as a Next Generation Parish is to increase participation among our young parishioners – who will indeed be that next generation. Youth participation will be visible at our Notre Dame de Lourdes worship site as our young parishioners will serve as lectors for the Mass on Sunday 3 November. The goal is to have the youth serve in various aspects at a Mass. As this ministry expands, we look forward to the youth assuming these various roles. This is not a “Youth Mass” but rather an opportunity for all our parishioners to share their talent at the Table of the Lord. The youth will also participate in the Mass on Sunday 15 December.
Likewise, at the 9:30 Mass on Sunday 3 November our Children’s Choir will share their talents. The Children’s Choir will lead us in song on the first Sunday of each month at our 9:30 Mass.
Friday 1 November is All Saints’ Day, a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Peace at 8:30 a.m. and at Notre Dame de Lourdes at 6:30 p.m. For future planning – Thanksgiving Day Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Peace Church at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday 28 November. Since 8 December occurs on a Sunday this year, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception will be celebrated on Monday 9 December. The Solemnity is transferred but the obligation to attend Mass is not. Therefore, you are obligated to attend Mass on Sunday 8 December – The Second Sunday of Advent, but you are not obligated to attend on Monday 9 December. Blessings!