Johann Artbauer’s funeral Mass was celebrated last Saturday, November 10th. Johann had 4 children, 6 grand- children & 6 great-grandchildren. She also has 2 sisters. Johann had a devotion to the Sacred Heart, St. Michael, & St. Christopher. During this month of November we remem- ber her and all the faithful departed from our parish whose funerals we celebrated this past year. Their names can be seen on the table by the baptism font, along with a book you can use to write in the names of deceased loves ones you would like us to remember this month. Finally, there is a basket there with the All Souls Day envelopes you filled out with names of those we are praying for during November.
In the rectory office, the Parish Community Center and the vestibule of the church, you’ll find booklets called “Care Notes” which provide helpful information as we deal with the many challenges of life. They are easy to read and offer the wisdom of our faith and of experience. Please feel free to browse through them to see if there are any you would like to read yourself, and feel free to bring them to others whom you feel may find them useful. They are yours to keep if you wish. We’ll include a list of the topics in the parish bulletin.
I received a letter from the Bishop asking me to congrat- ulate and thank you for reaching our 2018 Catholic Charities Appeal Goal. I believe we have been meeting or exceeding this goal every year and so I’m very grateful that you reach out to the poor & those in need with both your donations and your prayers. And let me also thank you for the many dona- tions of food and other items that you bring in & put in the vestibule for use by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, who does such great work in helping those in our neighborhood. In their name, I thank you.
It’s that time of year again for us to set aside an entire day to be mindful of the importance of thankfulness and to offer our gratitude to God for the countless blessings that are in our life. I invite you to join us for Mass this Thursday morning at 9am. In line with a long tradition here at St. Leo’s, we will bless and pass out loaves of bread to be enjoyed by those sharing in the Thanksgiving meal at home. The Eucharist we will celebrate on that day, and on every day we celebrate Mass, is all about giving thanks and praise to God. Yes, we ask for his mercy and for many other things, but primarily, the liturgy is one act of praise and thanks. It is gratitude that brings us peace and removes our sadness. How do you feel blessed this year?
The deacon now has his own chair in the sanctuary. It’s actually a hand-me-down as it used to be the priest’s chair but we had a new one made for the priest or presider which has a slightly taller back to it. I always got the clothes my brother used to wear so now I finally get something new and Deacon Pat gets something used. But at least I was kind enough to give him the cushion that goes with it.