Holy Hour at 4:30pm and Mass at 5:30pm (all at St. Mary Church) for the end of abortion on December 1
There is a decision coming up soon in the United States on abortion that could overturn Roe v wade. The new court case is Dobbs v Jackson. There will be an event in Rockford for December 1st. For those of us who cannot go out to Rockford for the day: We will be having a Holy hour at 4:30pm and Mass at 5:30pm in St Mary Church. The holy hour will have confessions available with a rosary and prayers for life.
Bishop Malloy has asked us to do a prayer service the week of the Immaculate Conception and our parishes will be participating on December 8. We will be having adoration of the Blessed Sacrament starting at 4pm with confessions followed by Mass at 5pm in St Mary’s Church.
Sunday 14 November 2021 is the fifth World Day of the Poor, initiated by Pope Francis in 2017 with the theme of “let us love, not with words but with deeds.” The Christian is called to follow the example of Jesus in loving God and neighbour, especially the most vulnerable. Pope Francis reminds us, “If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor.” Developing a culture of encounter is a key theme for Pope Francis and an essential counter witness to what he describes as a culture of waste and indifference, a culture that casts aside human beings who are not considered to be productive or useful.
The theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor is “for the poor you have always with you” from the words of Jesus at the Anointing in Bethany just before his Passion, an incident described in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John. Jesus is not saying that we should not work to alleviate poverty. In Mark’s account Jesus says that we can show kindness to the poor whenever we wish. In John’s account, the main objection to the use of costly perfume to anoint Jesus comes from Judas, but John makes clear that Judas had no love for the poor, but was a thief. He stole from the common purse. His words said one thing, his actions another. The Christian tradition is realistic about human beings. We are good, but flawed, wounded by sin. We do not believe in utopia in this life. There will always be poverty and injustice of some kind, but we are called to reduce its impact wherever we can.
The Pope goes on to say that the encounter with the poor is more than just charity, or acts of benevolence, important as they are. Our encounter with the poor should be a genuine sharing, an establishment of community, a desire to get to know those who may have been invisible to us. Pope Francis, in his other writings, pushes us further. It is not enough to work for the relief of poverty. In Fratelli Tutti, we are called upon to challenge the structural causes of poverty. In our society there is widespread injustice, many people who do not have what is their due, what they need to live a dignified and fulfilled life, and many people who have far more than they need. This is not a natural state of affairs, but the result of policy, which means it can be changed.
Poverty comes in many guises. In England and Wales, we do not always see the desperate material poverty which is evident in other countries, but it is there. In 2019, according to a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/uk-poverty-2020-21) 2.4 million people in the UK, including 0.5 million children, experienced destitution at some point in the year, in other words they did not having enough to live on. The same report says that before the Coronavirus pandemic, 14.5 million people in the UK were caught up in poverty, equating to 1 in 5 people.
In our society, we also have people who experience the poverty of isolation and loneliness, homelessness, modern day slavery, trafficking, relational poverty, the experience of being abused or the victim of violence. These circumstances are often drivers of material poverty, or the result of material poverty. The Gospel calls us to a conversion of heart and this conversion, as Pope Francis says in this year’s message for the World Day of the Poor, “consists primarily in opening our hearts to recognizing the many different forms of poverty and manifesting the Kingdom of God through a lifestyle consistent with the faith we profess.”
The resources we have gathered here are offered to the Catholic community as a way of deepening our encounter with those who are poor, of examining our own conscience about our lifestyles and how our faith is expressed in loving action. In his message in 2017, the Pope asked Catholic communities in the week preceding the World Day of the Poor to engage in acts of encounter and concrete expressions of charity. The focus is not fundraising, but encounter, accompaniment and change. The See-Judge-Act exercise is designed primarily for group use in a parish or a school to discern what actions might be taken. Do we know our community, who do we ‘see’ there, who do we not see, what is the Holy Spirit prompting us to do?
The novena is offered as a way to help us to prayerfully encounter in scripture God’s constant care for the poor and desire for more just relations in the community. The act of collective worship for schools in PowerPoint format is offered as a way to engage our young people with the questions of poverty, locally and globally. On this website you will also find more details of the fifty charities which are members of CSAN, engaged in different ways in tackling the causes of poverty, promoting justice and restoring dignity.
Our society has been shaken by a global pandemic. The poverty which existed in our communities has been exposed and the hardest hit are those who were in poverty before the pandemic. Other types of poverty are on the increase, such as mental ill-health, domestic violence, food poverty. From its entry onto the world stage in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, the Christian community was known for its service to the poor. This sign is needed now more than ever. The world is looking for hope.
All Saints Day, on November 1st is not a holy day of obligation this year. We will honor all of the deceased members of our commuity on Tuesday, November 2nd.
St. Joseph Mass: 5:30pm Nov 2, 2021
St. Mary Mass: 8:00am Nov 2, 2021
St. Mary Mass, En Espanol: 7:00pm Nov 2, 2021
Candles will be lit in honor of everyone who has passed away this year, and will be available for viewing during and after Mass times in both churches.
Some souls shine so brightly that their memory will live on forever. May their very spirits reach you from the flickering candle light, and bring love into your heart.
Alongside our deceased parish family, below are all the souls for whom the candles burn. May God allow them to rest in peace and ease the suffering of the living who mourn them.
We apologize for any miss-spellings. Every one will still recieve blessing and prayers.
In the past few months, more and more people have become aware of how religious thought can be brushed aside. In the “anti-vax” argument, most people don’t consider that there may be a reason behind religious or even moral objection to the vaccines on the current market. People asking for religious exemption have largely been ignored all around. Many within the Church herself don’t understand why so many would risk their livelihood by just getting the shot. Do they not care?
Yes, in fact, they do care. That is why they object so strongly. The basis of their objection for religious purposes is that these particular shots were either derived out of research done on the cell lines of aborted babies to find a way to use this new technology; or they actually used the cells that grew from aborted babies in the actual vaccine. You can find this information on the website; https://cogforlife.org/guidance/. Here is a quick break down as to which shots have ties to babies that were killed in abortion.
Johnson and Johnson: Uses cells made from an aborted baby’s cells in the shot (For all practical purposes, that baby is HEK-293).
Pfizer: Developed the shot from research on cells made from an aborted baby’s cells, it is unknown if the cells made from the aborted baby are actually put into the shot.
Moderna: Developed the shot from research on cells made from the cells of aborted babies. They do not use the cells made from the aborted baby in the shot.
Astra-Zenica: Developed the shot from research on cells made from aborted babies. They contain cells made from the cells of aborted babies.
Novavax (yet to be approved): There have been some tests done on cells made from an aborted baby’s cells.
In all of these examples, you see that there are no developments being made or researched without the use of cells collected from aborted babies in some manner or fashion.
You can imagine the horror of so many people who would rather die than live based on the slaughter of another human being, let alone an infant. But what do we do with this? Are we committing a mortal sin if we take the shot? Pope Francis has said that “one may take the shot and not commit a mortal sin.” The reasoning for this statement comes from the National Catholic Bioethics Center. They consult the bishops of the United States. A person taking the shot did not kill the baby. In most cases used in these shots, the actual abortion happened around 1970. They would term that as a remote approximation of the event of the abortion. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this would fall into a venial sin. Only in the most extreme circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, would it be okay to receive the shot. Trying to be responsible within the context of society is a noble thing. Yet at the same time, the Church and our Pope have strongly stated that we must let the almighty powers know that such a proposition to humanity is utterly unacceptable.
To do this, those who have rejected to take the shot are making a statement. For those who have taken the shot, support those who use their freedom to make such a sacrifice. To say one may receive the shot is not the same as saying one must take the shot. We all need to support one another as a people of life and for life. We all have our reasons for our decisions and each person has an accounting for their actions before God.
Science is imperfect knowledge, and we are always learning more. Rumors come and go, but as Catholics, we always stand for life and the dignity of every human being. We especially pride ourselves in the fact that we stand up for the most vulnerable. Today, the most vulnerable are the babies living in the womb of their mothers. Together, we can make this situation a unifying force in the Catholic Church. If we take the time to understand each other, we can finally come together in the issues of life. In solidarity with the youngest of the young, abortion would finally be aborted.
Catechism on Conscience, Paragraph #1782, “Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.”
Vatican II; Gaudium et Spes, Paragraph #16, “In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience when necessary speaks to his heart: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law written by God; to obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged. Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths. In a wonderful manner conscience reveals that law which is fulfilled by love of God and neighbor. In fidelity to conscience, Christians are joined with the rest of men in the search for truth, and for the genuine solution to the numerous problems which arise in the life of individuals from social relationships. Hence the more right conscience holds sway, the more persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and strive to be guided by the objective norms of morality. Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without losing its dignity. The same cannot be said for a man who cares but little for truth and goodness, or for a conscience which by degrees grows practically sightless as a result of habitual sin.”
We are about to launch a new app for prayer: AMEN.Given that prayer is as necessary as breathing for a Christian, we have wanted to come up with a platform that will help get out the rich content we have on prayer to make it easy for people to pray. The app we are releasing will employ Scripture and the richness of our two-thousand-year-old Catholic tradition of prayer. As we approach the launch date of October 15, we are getting more and more excited about AMEN’s layout and ease of use, as well as the audio quality of the daily meditations. Everyone should have AMEN. We are going to trust Providence that generous hearts will come forward and donate to support this new venture.
Coming up, St. Augustine Institute is beginning the religious faith of heart initiative. Through this, we are to remember that bad news is inevitable- but we shouldn’t fear it. We should trust in God to see us through trauma and disaster.
FORMED en Español – for Free!
This month we celebrate the sixth year of FORMED! We have many great programs on FORMED translated into Spanish, but have been wanting to meet the requests from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and many countries throughout Central and South America to launch a specifically Spanish FORMED platform. Can you help us share the good news to all in Central and South America? We are losing so many Catholics in these countries to secularism and proselyting from other faiths that we must change the tide. Will you help us?
Paul begins his letter in a positive manner, rejoicing in the faithful at Philippi. Paul holds these people dear to his heart (8) and is even willing to offer up anything in suffering for them (7). Paul offers this up, not because they have been wayward, but so that they may enjoy a spiritual fruitfulness and be strengthened (11). He sees something positive in them and wants to add God’s grace in their suffering. He does not think of his own regret or sorrow. He seems to enjoy giving the gift, even if it is born from his suffering.
In fact, most of Paul’s “brothers in Christ {are} taking from {his} chains (14). They feel a joy by such injustice and brutality. How is that possible? The motive of Paul is for the “furtherance of the gospel” (12). He is not doing all this for himself. If this was to further himself, it would be illogical to look forward to or to see something positive in suffering. To serve the Gospel message is to serve God. His motives are purely for God as opposed to others who are for themselves or just out to destroy (16-17).
Paul just rejoices to know that all his suffering is serving Christ Jesus (18). He knows that it is not something he can do on his own. He even acknowledges the prayerful support the faithful have offered (19). He sees the fruitfulness of the faithful and rejoices in it. The fruitfulness is not something to be jealous about. It relieves him that all his work and suffering are not going in vain.
This is thought is what inspires him to say, “I have now full confidence that now as always Christ will be exalted through me, whether I live or die” (20). When we die, all of us will have to give an account of our fruitfulness in our life.
This fruitfulness is not based on how much money you made or saved. Nor does it depend on how beautiful you are in the way the world defines beauty. Rather, we will all be judged on how many souls we have helped get to heaven. This is the only fruitfulness that brings fulfillment. We can make a lot of money, but that does not bring fruitfulness necessarily. It may bring contentment for the time being, but not fruitfulness.
“Life is Christ” (21). Fruitfulness is life and it can only happen by God’s grace. When the fullness of fruitfulness comes to pass, that life is complete and “death is gain”. Both are seen as a good. Yet at the same time, how good it is to gain so much more fruit while we are here (22). All this fruitfulness comes from Jesus as He invites us to suffer with Him. Jesus did not suffer to take away suffering, but rather to empower our suffering with fruitfulness. Thus, joy is possible while suffering. This is the experience of Paul.
Paul hopes to use this message to inspire the faithful to be willing to suffer for Christ’s sake (29). He wants to strengthen them. Paul knows the price that has to be paid to follow Jesus. He is not sugar coating it. He wants them to be prepared so that they too may become fruitful in their sufferings as Paul has (30). The faithful in Philippi seem to desire this fruitfulness.
This informative program is for families, friends and caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. It is designed to enhance your understanding of the disease; how it affects those who have it; and how to effectively deal with it day-to-day.
All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation, falls on a Monday. This year, we will celebrate All Saints Day on Tuesday 8am at St. Mary and 5:30pm at St. Joseph.
There is an envelope in your packet for All Souls Masses. Please list your intentions on the back and return it as soon as possible. All the deceased members of the parishes from the last year will be honored.
An order form for candles is in the breezeway at St. Joseph. There is one inserted in your bulletins this week as well. Or you can download and print it directly from here! If you would like to purchase a candle in memory of your own deceased loved ones, please have your order form with payment turned in by October 18th. And NO LATER than October 20th. Each candle is $4.00, and they will be lit on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, if you would like to take pictures or say prayers in the memory of the deceased.
May their spirits rest in peace, and be filled with joy for their friends and families.
On October 16-17 2021, we will hold the annual collection for the mission appeal. By participating through prayer and financial support, we unite with our Catholic brothers and sisters throughout the world to do what Christ has asked all of us to do; namely, proclaim, teach, and live our Catholic faith.
Please look for your mission appeal envelope in the mail and bring it to mass with you, or donate online at:
www.rockforddiocese.org/donate
Bear Much Fruit (John 15:5) is the theme for the 2021 Diocesan Appeal. With this theme in mind we are all called to maintain our connection to Jesus, bearing good fruit through what we say and do. As always this time of year, I need to ask you for your help and support. It is during this busy season that we act together to help care for the larger Church of the Diocese of Rockford.
It is through your kind gift to the 2021 Diocesan Appeal that we can continue to bring the love of Jesus and teach the faith to young and old alike. That work takes many forms in many different diocesan ministries. Religious education, marriage preparation, promoting human dignity and respect for life, youth ministry, and vocations are just some of the diocesan ministries and services supported by this Appeal.
What we give in support to the Diocesan Appeal comes back to help us in many ways! Our parish itself receives support for many of the diocesan ministries including our religious formation programs, our schools, and in the future the very fruits of the vocations we which we pray. This is why the annual Appeal is so important to us and our Diocese. Please remember that whatever we raise beyond this goal returns to our parish.
Please join St. Joseph and St. Mary in supporting the 2021 Diocesan Appeal. This year, if you plan to make your gift by credit card or automatic withdrawal from your bank account, you can do so by visiting: http://www.rockforddiocese.org/donate to donate easily and securely. Feel free to contact our office if you would like further information about donating from a donor-advised fund or through your IRA.
Thank you for your support as we work together to live the Church’s mission and be a witness of compassion and connection to Jesus and one another.
