Every now and then I get surprised by something, and it takes my breath away and I know I am in the presence of holiness. As many of you, I injured my knee, I’m not exactly sure when or where but it has been hurting badly, disabling me from hiking or even walking in the neighborhood with my dog. Fr. Chris has been great taking my Bella for walks each evening. The other day Bella stared at me with those big eyes and begged me for a walk. I decided to venture out for a short slow walk in the neighborhood. She loved it and so did I. As I came back the children were being dropped off for school and one of the second graders jumped out of his car, saw me with Bella and ran to me: “Fr. Brendan. It is great to see you better and walking Bella. I am so happy you are well again. I have been praying for you every day.” Then he gave me the biggest little hug I ever got. Wow! Talk about a God-hug! It made me cry! This little kid could not have known how much I needed that little hug and my short walk in the neighborhood. God moments of holiness and wisdom out of the mouth of a little 2nd grader! What a beautiful moment!
Speaking of beautiful moments, last weekend we celebrated a teaching Mass with John Angotti and it was well attended and we received lots of positive feedback. We explained the four movements of the Mass along with some tidbits through the Mass. We had a full Church, people were very engaged, enjoyed it, and said they learned a great deal about the different parts of the Mass. We followed the teaching Mass with a meal together in the Parish Center and another memorable concert with John Angotti. It was truly a grace-filled week for us here at SaintSimon Parish.
On November 19, we will have a Friendsgiving Concert with John Angotti, Jesse Manibusan and friends. Jesse has written so many beautiful songs, many of them you know as we sing them here. Please spread the word, invite your friends to come to Mass with you and celebrate the evening with us. We will have refreshments, wine and cheese after the 5pm Saturday Mass while we set up for the concert at 6:30pm. This is an all ages event, all are welcome so please come and enjoy another great concert and evening. More information and to register for the reception click here.
As we head into this weekend, please do not forget to change your clocks and fall back! You can enjoy an extra hour of sleep as we move back into Daylight Saving time but please come to Church. I encourage you to make every effort to come to Mass in person and enjoy our wonderful community in prayer and worship… and this weekend is Donut Sunday so enjoy coffee, a donut and fellowship. A reminder that this weekend is the last weekend to mail in your vote. Tuesday, November 8 is voting day and as I have said multiple times, it is our responsibility to vote in EVERY election. There are many propositions on the ballot, and they all require some time to research and understand. Please vote according to your conscience and be informed what the Church teaches. In a special way, the Church encourages you to vote against Proposition 1 which will make abortion available till the day of pregnancy. It is unnecessary and extreme. Again, please vote according to your conscience, pray about it but please vote.
At all Masses this weekend, we will be inviting you to participate in a survey about the future of our local Church. We have launched the beginning of a Diocesan Synod and we have delegates from every parish participating in the January General Assembly. However, we need to hear from EVERY parishioner about what is important for you about the Catholic Church and our common future. Here is the link to the video from the bishop and the direct link to the survey itself. Please invite all your friends to participate in this survey especially those who are not coming to Church regularly. We want to hear from everyone to understand why they are coming or not coming regularly or at all and what we can do to help them reestablish a strong relationship with Christ and his Church.
Finally, next Friday we will celebrate Veterans Day as a nation. It is very important for us to acknowledge all our veterans for their years of service and dedication to their country. If you know someone who has served in the Armed Forces, please remember them in your prayers and also reach out to them this week thanking them for their years of service. We are grateful for their gift of time and talent to our nation. St Vincent de Paul Society are collecting clothes for Veterans in our local area and more information is in the e-bulletin. Please support this drive if you can.
God Bless
Fr. Brendan