Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

And so we come to the end of October 2004. What a month it has been! Time is flying and we are now 38 days from the dedication of our new church. May all of us keep praying and stay strong in our faith! These are great days!

This Tuesday, November 2 nd, we have the privilege of going to the polls and voting for our civil leaders. This is not only a right, but it is a responsibility. As Catholic Christians we have such a great responsibility to vote and to stand up for our voice in government. This is not to impose our beliefs on others. This is for us to stand up and witness to Christ and His teachings even when we are choosing our leaders. There is so much on the line this election, issues that the Church is extremely concerned about, that to NOT vote this year would be a sin. These issues include the war in Iraq, terrorism, jobs and the economy, education and tax breaks for those who choose private education, our care for the poor and the elderly, and most especially embryonic stem-cell research and Abortion. These last two are more than just “issues”, they are moral imperatives because innocent life is being taken, and all Catholic Christians must stand up every opportunity that we can, to protect innocent life. So PLEASE don’t forget to vote this Tuesday! Copies of The Catholic Update which was published this summer, summarizing the USCCB (the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) document “Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility” are available in the entryway to the church. If you would like to read the document in its entirety you can go to www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship or call 202-722-8716 for more information.

Tomorrow is the Feast of All Saints. It is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year because it occurs on a day next to a Sunday. It is still a Feast Day though. We will have the Mass of All Saints tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM. This is a good time to reflect on just how much we rely on the saints for their intercession. We need to remember that the saints in Heaven are also part of the Church. They are the Church glorified. They are where we want to be! Let us keep the saints as our example then. As they loved Jesus and served Him on earth, so too must we! As they made sacrifices for the building up of the Kingdom, so too must we! As they gave their lives for Jesus’ Good News, so too must we! I love the saints. They are true heroes and ought to inspire all of us to persevere. And sometimes I think that it is their prayers that allow us to do so much. Don’t you think that St. Maria Goretti up in Heaven had something to do with the dry, nice weather in September that allowed us to get so much done on our new church, both inside and out? Of course, she did. It is great to have friends in high places. It is even better to have friends in “high places” praying for each one of us! Let us celebrate the saints this week. When’s the last time that you read a book on the life of a saint? Why not pick one up this week in celebration of All Saint’s Day?

Tuesday, November 2 nd is not only Election Day, but in the Church it is All Souls’ Day. This is the day when we remember to pray for our beloved dead brothers and sisters, especially those who have died in the past year. On All Souls’ Day and throughout the month of November we remember all of those who have gone before us. We pray for them. And we pray that God will save a place for each one of us in His Kingdom when our time in this world is over. It was a tough year for our Parish family. We sent home several very beloved members. Let us keep all of them in our prayers this All Souls’ Day. At our All Souls’ Day Mass on Tuesday morning, we will read the list of those who have died this past year in place of our petitions.

Mark your calendars now for our annual Parish Lenten Mission. I know Lent seems like a long way away, but I really want all of us to be able to attend. We will be welcoming Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher CFR who will give the mission on February 21 st, 22 nd, 23 rd, & 24 th, 2005 in the new church. It will be a great week. Please block out those evenings now on your calendar. Lent is very early this year, with Ash Wednesday being on February 9 th.

Take care!

In Christ,
Fr. Kevin

You do not have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body. - C.S. Lewis