Dear Parish Family,
Our Scriptures this Sunday speak about God's offering of Himself to us and our offerings to God. God has offered Himself completely, and He asks us for just a small offering. When we make an offering to Him, we see miracles happen in our lives! When the widow of Zarephath offered the last meal she had to Elijah, God blessed her with a year's supply of food. When the widow gave her two cents to the temple, this captured the heart of Jesus. Do you believe God can do more with your gifts when you offer them to Him than you can on your own? Leave room for God's grace in your offering and watch the miracles happen!
 
Our Fall Mission with Fr. Jim Sichko was a huge success! The church at St. Mary's was full, and I mean FULL, for three consecutive nights with parishioners from St. Patrick's and St. Mary's, non-Catholic Christians, and many of the unchurched. There is a great hunger and thirst for God in our midst, and we have an incredible moment to capitalize on the energy and renewal at work by God's grace. Fr. Jim promised that if we showed up, we would see miracles happen in our lives and for our parish. Let's keep the momentum of grace going by making small offerings to God for others. Fr. Jim's promise that miracles would happen is based on God's generous goodness to those who trust Him!
 
Fr. Jim also challenged us to participate fully at Mass. Show up on time. SING to glorify God. Don't leave after communion. Don't take coffee, drinks or snacks into church. These small things make a huge difference. If we love God and our fellow parishioners, we will do all of these things with ease.
 
We are moving along with plans for the new rectory at St. Mary's! Please see the link below to RSVP for the Parish Presentation on Wednesday, November 13 at 6:30 pm in the St. Mary Banquet Room. Additionally, please save the date to attend the Ceremonial Groundbreaking and Reception on Saturday, November 23 at 1:00 pm. We will meet outside in front of the St. Mary School drive where the new rectory will be built for a short ceremony, then move inside for some refreshments. A RSVP for the groundbreaking event will be available later this week, but feel free to call or email the parish office anytime beforehand if you'd like to attend.

https://forms.gle/2hPtfWxczC5oGNKx6
 
The sound system and livestream project is also coming together. The new sound system will address dead spots and inconsistencies in sound distribution in the church and incorporate assistive listening technologies for those with hearing difficulties. New microphones will be installed in the sanctuary and music area to enhance clarity and lessen feedback and background noise. Refreshing our livestream operation will provide higher quality video with multiple camera views, bring in ambient sound from the congregation to the livestream, enhance playback capabilities, streamline our scheduling and simplify camera user operations. We will also install a livestream camera in the Banquet Room to capture presentations and special events. Moreover, we will install a TV in the Hospitality Room that can broadcast live feed from the church and be connected to USB or HDMI for presentations and funeral visitation slideshows.
 
As we celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick at our Masses this weekend, let us hold closely in our prayers those suffering from the debilitations of age, serious illnesses and diagnoses, and upcoming surgeries. May the healing touch of our Lord bless our sick.
 
I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow