News - November 2018 RSS Feed

I trust that everyone had a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday. It is always good to get together with our families and friends to celebrate the holidays. For some reason they seem to get busier each year, I am not sure why that is. Still, my Mother at 85 insists on preparing the dinner, not only for Thanksgiving, but Christmas and New Year as well. Read more.

November seems to be on a fast pace to get over with! All of a sudden we are hitting the middle of the month and I feel as though it just started. Hopefully everyone is setting a focus towards the celebration of Thanksgiving next week. Read more.

As previously discussed, we are hoping to expand the presentation of Icons in the Hall of the Saints. Perhaps a brief understanding of the meaning of an icon as such is in order. To the contemporary reader an “icon” is a shortcut on your computer or smartphone that enables you to access a program or an app. This is, sadly, an unfortunate usurpation of a word that has been used in the church from the very beginning, appearing even in the New Testament. The word “icon” is derived from the Greek word for an image. Saint Paul tells us that “Jesus is the icon of the Father.”

This is Vocation Awareness Week. As I mentioned in a prior missive, it is a good time to reflect on the meaning and role of our own “religious vocations” – be it married, preparing for marriage, deacon, or priest. It is also time to reflect on how we encourage and strengthen the vocations of others. We will engage in our annual Adopt-a-Seminarian appeal this weekend. Read more.