Dear Parishioners:
I offer my thanks and gratitude to all who made our Parish Feast Week of Mercy a grand success. Our parish staff and many volunteers were great help with all the events. We began with a beautiful Solemn Feast Day Mass and ended up with a great celebration of Oktoberfest!
During the week, we gathered in prayer to Our Lady of Mercy and heard a great reflection on mercy from Dominican Fr. James Mary Sullivan, OP. They are called the Order of Preachers for a reason! And we also filled 150 backpacks for the homeless with our parish work of mercy! As we reflect upon Mercy Week, let us continue to turn to our patroness, Our Lady of Mercy. Let us now echo the lyrics to the Hymn of Our Lady of Mercy as our prayer: "O Dearest Mother of Mercy, gentle and serene, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. Most Gracious Queen, O Dearest Mother of Mercy, let Angels and Men sing thy praise, and we thy loving children will sing to thee our sweetest songs."
We continue to turn to our Blessed Mother in October, a month dedicated to her and the Holy Rosary. The Feast of the Holy Rosary is on October 7 because, on October 7, 1571, the Catholic naval fleet at Lepanto won a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, with the most powerful navy in the world, a Muslim force with some 15,000 enslaved Christians as rowers.
Battle of Lepanto Painted by Tony Stafki http://tonystafki.imagekind.com/
Knowing that the Christian forces were at a great disadvantage, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. The victory was significant as it prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!"
So every October, we take up the Rosary. As St Pope John Paul II teaches: "With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary, the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer."
Join us every Monday at 7:00 pm for October Devotion as we gather for adoration, pray the Rosary, and receive Benediction. It is a wonderful way to mark this special month dedicated to our Blessed Mother. Won't you join us for a half hour of prayer and reflection?
October is also Respect Life Month. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end and at every point in between. During October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.
This year, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, invites Catholics to "practice radical solidarity and unconditional love" for pregnant and parenting mothers.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health this past June returned the responsibility of limiting abortion from the judiciary to the legislature. For those of us who have prayed for this moment to arrive, says Archbishop Lori, "it is the time for a renewal and rededication of our efforts to build a culture of life and civilization of love." He explains that "justice requires that the basic protections of the law against violence be extended to the preborn child" while explaining that building "a world in which all are welcome requires not only justice, but compassion, healing, and above all, unconditional love."
October is the time to turn with a renewed dedication to praying the Rosary and seeking Our Lady’s intercession for the protection of human life and an increased respect for human dignity. We must continue to pray for a culture of life in our state, nation, and world. We must also pray for all expectant mothers, especially those in crisis pregnancies. Let us turn to Our Lady of Mercy to hear and help us. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats beat Fr. Mahoney’s Packers???!