Next Sunday: Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Celebrant : Guest Priest
Feast of All Saints NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year
Because the Feast of All Saints (November 1) falls on a Monday this year, it is NOT a day when Catholics are obligated to attend Mass. Next year in 2022, it will fall on a Tuesday and will return to being a Day of Obligation. Due to it falling on a Monday this year, and since there is no obligation to attend Mass on November 1 this year, the Mass schedule for Monday, November 1 will follow the usual weekday schedule.
Don’t Forget
Daylight Savings Time (aka: fast time) ends at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, November 7, 2021. Remember to set your clocks back (“fall back”) one hour before you go to bed Saturday night.
Synod 2021-2023
(The Archdiocesan coordinator for the Worldwide Synod on Synodality has asked that we post this in all parish bulletins for October 31)
The Holy Father has called a synod inviting ALL the Baptized to come together to discuss and discern how we can walk together in accomplishing the Mission of the Church. He wants ALL those who make up the Church to participate: elderly, youth, religious orders, clergy, lay faithful, poor, disabled, divorced, migrants, those who no longer practice the faith, etc. More will be coming on how this is going to be accomplished at the local level, and what the discussion themes will be. In the meantime, please give participating in this first phase of the synod some prayerful thought. The Holy Father and the Holy Spirit value your input! Questions? Please feel free to contact me at jhomoelle@catholicaoc.org. God Bless!
All Souls Remembrance at St. Ann
All Souls’ Day is actually November 2 (Tuesday) but at St. Ann we will celebrate loved ones who have passed in the most recent year at all precept Masses on October 30 & 31. Because Fr. Ron Williams will be out of town on vacation, a guest celebrant will be present for the 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Masses at Sacred Heart so I can have the 8:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart and then the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at St. Ann.
The All Souls annual memorial Mass at Sacred Heart will be at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 7. Those who have passed in the most recent year will be remembered.
Beacons of Light
If you have visited BeaconsAOC.org, you have seen that St. Ann and Sacred Heart, which were already working together in the pastoral region model, have now been proposed to be a new “Family.” In the past there were twelve deaneries, ours was the Hamilton Deanery. Now there are six deaneries, and we are in the Central Deanery. Sacred Heart and St. Ann are designated Family C-4 on the maps. We currently have a little over 200 parishes. These are combined into about 60 new Families of Parishes.
Thus we know that St. Ann and Sacred Heart will be a new “Family” served by one priest pastor, but we do not as yet know who that priest will be. This reorganization will require numerous priest reassignments. We should know who the pastors will be by March 2022.
Please reference the Beacons of Light web page for the most up-to-date information. Simply go to your browser and type in “BeaconsAOC.org” or type the same into your favorite search engine.
Split the Pot
The annual “St. Ann New Year’s Eve Split the Pot” is underway. Tickets are on sale in the vestibule of St. Ann after weekend precept Masses. This is a major fundraiser for St. Ann Church and School, so as Sacred Heart and St. Ann become a new Family, let’s support each other.
Attention parish or school volunteers who work with or around children
Are you aware that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has moved all parishes and schools from using the “Virtus” Child Protection program to the “Safe Parish” program? If you are a volunteer classroom parent in the school, a coach, drama club volunteer, scout volunteer, etc please note that you should have received new content via your email. Fulfillment of this requirement is mandatory for anyone working with children. Please contact your parish safe environment coordination if you are uncertain whether you are registered or approved.
As we have returned to school and fall programs ramp up, please be aware that failure to register with and complete the requirements of Safe Parish will result in your inability to continue to work with or around children in any parish and/or school setting. We have been informed by the Archdiocese that there can be NO EXCEPTIONS.
Live Streaming a precept Mass from St. Ann and Sacred Heart each week
Since I live stream both the 4:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart and the 5:15 p.m. at St. Ann; I usually manage to live stream both, but on rare occasions the internet is out at one or the other location. If this happens, be assured that I will make every effort to correct the malfunction before the next weekend.
Please remember to access the Sacred Heart / St. Ann Pastoral Region You Tube site by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLLqbEY5hKWinwz069MVcg
Reflection on Scripture:
In Rabbinic tradition, it is common for scholars of the Jewish law to create a hierarchy among the laws. Sometimes they will look for a foundational law from which the others can be deduced. This is the case with the question asked of Jesus in today’s gospel.
The response of Jesus combines two references. The first is the “Shema” from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. The second is from Leviticus 19:18. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The very basis of Judeo Christian morality is love of God and neighbor. By putting the two together, Jesus gives us a new interpretation. Obviously you should love your creator, the source of your very existence. Jesus adds the nuance that since God created both me and my neighbor; I should love my neighbor as myself. Thus, showing compassion to my neighbor becomes commensurate with showing my love for God.
A jigsaw puzzle appears to be a box full of multicolored pieces. But if we take time to fit all the pieces together, you find a beautiful picture. However, you have to study each piece in order to create the picture. Do you want to see the picture of Christ? Study all the stories and teachings in the Bible (the written tradition), and then study the history of the “lived tradition,” the sacraments of the Church. Carefully put the two together and you will “get the picture.”
NEXT WEEK
1Kgs 17:10-16
Heb 9:24-28
Mk 19:38-44
Theme: The Widow’s Mite