Pastor's Column

     As we baptize Berlynn Grace Geither this weekend after the Noon Mass, we pledge our prayerful support to her parents & godparents. We welcome all of God's children to be members of his Church that they may find real life through true faith. 
    It’s been enjoyable for me to make some short visits to some of the ARISE groups. What wonderful things God is doing for them and through them! If only everyone would want to benefit from such a great help to their faith. Please continue to pray for the fruitfulness of the ARISE program at St. Leo’s. Is the Lord calling you to enrich your faith in this way?
    Every week we include the name & picture of a seminarian or religious brother or sister that we pray for. I received a wonderful note from a Sister Anna Rose Carrone whose parents came across our Sunday bulletin (they are from St. Charles) which had her picture & name in it. She was thrilled that we were praying for her. Our prayers make a difference. 
    It's always hard to believe, but this is Thanksgiving week. Mass will be at 9am as always. Turkey to follow (at your home, not ours). My routine on Thanksgiving? Mass, of course. Then turkey. Then a nap. Then some more turkey. Then another nap. Then...you get the idea. Pretty routine, but it works for me every year. 
    Today is the feast of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time. Next weekend you will see us bring out the purple vestments & the advent wreath as we begin to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. That's a good introduction to two opportunities I want to remind you of as you begin your Christmas shopping. First, our Sweepstakes tickets make great Christmas gifts, especially for the person that is hard to buy for. They're $30 & we are just now beginning the new year of drawings so this is the time to get in! Secondly, we are very grateful to everyone who supports our gift card program too, a major fund raiser for our parish. You buy a gift card at face value & we make a small profit on each one that is sold which adds up to a BIG profit when EVERYONE participates (we're down in sales so far this year). These too make great gifts! But they're also convenient for your day to day shopping needs for gas, groceries, restaurants, etc. To make it easier for you, we're going to have people available in the vestibule of the church after each Mass so that you can place your order without having to go to the Rectory Office. More details next weekend when we hope to begin this convenience.