Mark your calendar for our parish ecumenical visit to St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 5. It should be a chance to learn about an interesting branch of Christianity and see a very interesting church. For those who would like to carpool, we will meet at St. Charles’ parking lot at 6:30.
The Franciscan Center will be passing out grocery bags after Masses this weekend. They ask they you return the bags next weekend, October 3 and 4, with non-perishable food items which could be helpful for the poor.
We are blessed to be a parish with young families and a lot of babies. A reminder to parents of little ones: Your child is always welcome here. We all understand that meltdowns happen, and you have our compassion at those times. A quick trip to the cry room or the Gathering Space is a solution. Both spaces have speakers so that you can still hear the Mass while your child regains composure. Come on back when the meltdown is over. We all know that little ones cry. We are glad that they are here and we are sympathetic with frazzled parents.
As I look back at our calendar, I note that September has been an extra busy month for our priests. In addition to our parish Masses, Fr. Jery has monthly Masses in five nursing homes and Fr. Drew has weekly Masses at PUFW. During the month of September, we have also celebrated an unusual number of Masses in other parishes: Besancon, Monroeville, Angola, Avilla, Churubusco, Ege, Auburn, Garrett, Queen of Angels and Our Lady of Good Hope. The Masses in other parishes will slow down in October. We are blessed to have three priests at St. Charles and we are able to help solo priests to get away once in a while.
Finally, a word of encouragement on the Annual Bishop’s Appeal. This appeal is the source of funding for our Marriage Tribunal, our diocesan Vocations Office and our Safe Environment workers. It is also the main source of income for retired priests, continuing education for priests, and diocesan liturgies. Please be generous.
