Our sympathies to Fr. Vesely on the death of his brother Richard who passed away on September 11th. We will keep him and Father’s family in our prayers.
Congratulations to Matt Stumpf and Jordan Laviano who will be getting married next Saturday, October 5th. May they have a long and joyful marriage.
Several of you have called the rectory office or have told me personally about the full paper recycling bins we have in the parking lot behind the school and parish community center. First, thank you to everyone who brings their used paper products here so that it can all be recycled. We receive a check every month for this plus we are doing good in recycling. We have been aware that the two bins are full however it is beyond our control. Two of the people who drive the trucks to empty them have been on medical leave and so they struggle to keep up. We are however getting a third bin placed there soon so hopefully that will help. If in the future they continue to be full, you can place bags or boxes next to the bins and we will be happy to hold onto them until the bins are emptied again. Just please make sure there is nothing that can blow away.
I had my 6 month follow up visit with my urologist and my PSA blood work continues to show that there is no detectable cancer so I’m grateful for that and for your continued concern. My next visit will be in another 6 months.
I am in talks with the man who is arranging our pilgrimage to the Holy Land for next year. We are pretty confident in the dates we have reserved which is October 5 -15, 2020. So if you are interested in joining us, please reserve those days. We will have a meeting here in November where we will be given more information on the trip, including the cost. So please watch this space for more information in the coming weeks.
I want to include another note concerning the issue of Sponsor Certificates which I’ve covered in the last 2 columns. The certificate lists these as qualifications: 1) You are at least 16 years old; 2) You have received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist & Confirma- tion); 3) If you are married, it was in the Catholic Church; 4) You attend Mass regularly; 5) You will be a good example of the Faith to the person you are sponsoring. By signing this certificate, you attest to the truthfulness of these statements. So if you are asking someone to be a sponsor or godparent for a baptism or confirmation, PLEASE DO NOT ASK SOMEONE WHO IS NOT QUALIFIED. Notice how I used all caps there? It’s important that you invite someone into this relationship who is qualified to act in this role. Again, we are willing to work with someone who has been lax in their faith, but they must be willing to work with us.