Welcome back to Fr. Nicholas Ward who will be/was here to offer the 5:00 p.m. Mass this Saturday, October 3rd and to hear the Confessions at 4:00 p.m. This is a “Mass of Thanksgiving” offered both by him and for him (I plan to be there to concelebrate). May the Lord bless him both as he continues his first assignment of priestly ministry at the parishes in Wintersville and into whatever future assignments and ministry opportunities the Lord has for him.
Because this month is recognized as the month of the Rosary, I’d like to note for you 4 opportunities in the next 2 weeks to participate in special themed times for praying the Rosary.
- The first one you might likely have already participated in if you have attended Mass this weekend before taking a bulletin with you. This is the monthly Pro-Life Rosary prayed before each of our 4 weekend Masses on the first full weekend of each month. We will continue offering the Rosary before all of the Sunday Masses this month, with other intentions, too.
- During this week, on Wednesday, October 7th, which is the Memorial Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary, and one of the chief reasons we observe October as the month of the Rosary, Bishop Monforton has invited all of us to participate in a national “virtual” Rosary called the “Rosary for America” at 3:00 p.m. that day. Go to usccb.org/rosary-america for details.
- On Saturday, October 10th at Noon, the annual Rosary Rally at the Guernsey County Courthouse will be held, drawn from the messages given to children in Fatima, Portugal, over 100 years ago to pray the Rosary daily especially for peace.
- Then, on next Sunday, October 11th, there is another nationwide Rosary event, called the “Rosary Coast to Coast” in which we are planning to participate at 4:00 p.m. at St. Benedict Church. The focus of this Rosary is holiness in our nation and world, organized by a group called the U.S. Grace Force!
Early in-person voting begins this week on Tuesday, October 6th. You can go to the Guernsey County Board of Elections Office directly across from Theo’s Restaurant and vote early. There are so many local issues to weigh and support, such as the Levy for Children’s Services of Guernsey County, as a key component for responding to a 265% increase over the past 10 years in the number of children in foster and kinship care.
Finally, we will be announcing soon a matching funds drive through the Food for the Poor organization to benefit our twin parish of St. Elisabeth Parish in Caracol, Haiti. We will do so once the campaign details are provided from the Food for the Poor organizers.
May the Lord continue to bless us with joy and peace as disciples of Jesus and to help us always to be ready for the gift of eternal life!