Dear Parishioners,
Blessings of peace and joy to you and your families.
At the start of the month of November which we acknowledge as the month of thanksgiving, I invite all parishioners to live with grateful hearts throughout the month and beyond. As members of a faith community who are recipients of the unceasing graces and rich blessings of the Father, let us remember that gratitude multiplies blessings and opens the door of greater opportunities to us.
Gratitude is associated with blessings. The more we demonstrate grateful hearts, the more astronomical our blessings can be. We should all have a reason to thank God, but as a parish community, here are some reasons to collectively give thanks throughout the month:
Our sister Sue, after several years of dedicated service to our sister parish communities of St. John and St. Isidore, retired from active ministry. We thank the good Lord for choosing her and working through her for his church.
Another reason to thank God is for my assignment to our sister parishes of Saint Isidore & Saint John. The appointment is an expression of Archbishop Jackals’ willingness and commitment to keep supplying all parishes with priests. As we pray for more priests for the Archdiocese of Dubuque to serve the pastoral and spiritual needs of parishioners, our gratitude should be expressed to God and to Archbishop Jackals.
The call to be grateful is also a call to attend Mass constantly on the weekends; and as a reminder, our morning Masses are short and sweet moments to savor God’s fragrance during the week. Consider morning Masses as well whenever your schedule permits you. The Mass itself is a celebration of thanksgiving and so being at Mass enables the worshipers to give thanks together. I am hoping for a packed church all through the month. Invite a friend or a relative and bring them to church.
Again, thanksgiving is also a time to share our blessings with the Church. Deciding to bump up your giving during this time and hopefully going forward is encouraged highly. I humbly invite all parishioners to use this month to start considering an adjustment in their weekly contributions to keep supporting the church. However, the parish is always appreciative of the commitment of the members who support it.
Finally, I encourage all parishioners to add to their prayer intentions Pope Francis’ intention for the month of November. The intention is for ‘Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Near East’. The holy Father is asking that we pray for a true spirit of dialogue, encounter and reconciliation to occur among the various religious groupings. These monthly intentions are so purposeful and a way to keep a universal prayer going in the church. It is therefore necessary that we unite with the pope to pray together for the world and about the issues that confront us.
Together let’s give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His love is everlasting!
Fr. Andrew