Pastoral Message – November 5, 2023

The night of November 4th will contain an extra hour. Daylight Saving time ends on November 5th. I, for one, love having that extra hour! Even though I will probably end up spending the hour sleeping, just the thought that I get more time makes me happy. This gets me thinking of our usual 24-hour day. It’s amazing to see how some people seem to have time to do a lot of things, while I often feel that I don’t have

As you know, one of my main occupations during my free time has been unpacking my boxes of stuff since moving here in mid-September. You never quite know, until you have to move, how much stuff you have accumulated. In preparing for my move, I got rid of a lot of things. Now, as I unpack my many boxes, I am getting rid of more things. My boxes aren’t marked, so it’s a surprise each time I open a box.

Mass Intentions What can we do to pray for a loved one, living or deceased?” Or “how can we do something to honor or memorialize a loved one?” These are common questions that come up in times of grief, sickness, trials, tribulations, or praise and thanksgiving. One response, which is both ancient and contemporary, is to have a Mass offered. This offering of a Mass intention becomes one of three of a celebrant’s intentions. First, Father intends to celebrate the Mass reverently

The other day I was going through the Starbucks drive-thru to get my morning coffee, and the young man who served me my coffee asked me, “What’s your name?” I told him I am Philip. He responded, “You baptized me! My mom is so excited you’re at SSJ now!” Isn’t that a cool connection? The sacrament of Baptism had created a bond between us, and we rediscovered that bond in the drive-thru line at Starbucks. In the short time that I