SAINT JAMES CHURCH  -  ST AUGUSTINE  FLORIDA

Weekly Musings from the Priest Administrator
Saint James Church, St. Augustine, FL
A Catholic Community of the Personal Ordinariate
of the Chair of Saint Peter

SPECIAL ALL SAINTS EDITION

I am preparing this week's Musings early in order to give everyone adequate advance notice concerning this coming Thursday's Holy Day of Obligation, the Solemnity of All Saints. "All Hallows" is the old English word for the occasion, ergo the evening vigil before was called "Hallow'een", which originally had nothing to do with spooky outfits and such. Oh, well. Please let's remember that this is a very important observance on our church calendar, and although for various good reasons we won't be celebrating an All Saints Mass at St. James, there are many good Catholic churches in town where you can go to celebrate the day. Personally I'm going to attend (in mufti, ie. incognito) the noon Mass at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of La Leche. Certainly she who is Queen of the Saints will be pleased to see her children gathered at that wonderful place under the Advocation of the Patron of mothers everywhere.

There's a lot going on in November, so I'm going to pretty much stick to the "Kalendar facts" for the month in my commentary below:

1. I am attaching the November bulletin (without the coverpiece), which if you'll look closely includes a special consultation this coming Sunday to decide how we might help participate in the second World Day of the Poor on November 18th. Deacon Philip is going to deliver his first Diaconal homily for St. James on that Sunday, and we may also have a potluck to follow Mass. Please help us decide on those logistics this coming Sunday after Mass.

2. Please also remember that starting on Friday, November 2nd, All Souls Day, we remember in a special way the Faithful Departed all the way through the month. In Italy, they call it "Our Month" as they consider their deceased ancestors, now resting in the Lord and awaiting the Resurrection from the Dead. We've begun passing out Special Intention cards on which you can list your beloved relatives and friends who have passed on from this mortal realm. These will be placed on the altar every Sunday in November, and will constitute our collective prayer for their blessing and peace in the Bosom of Abraham.

3. Speaking of All Saints this Thursday, we will NOT be having our usual Study and Prayer Hour in order to give maximum flexibility to those who may find a late afternoon Mass that day somewhere else in town. We will resume the following Thursday, November 8th, and hope to have some new folks along. We had four visitors at Mass this past weekend, two who live right in Lincolnville, and are looking for a church. Folks, we're the Lord's beacons to the searching sheep, and He is bringing them to us. Will we be there for them to welcome them? Your Sunday Mass attendance means far more than you may realize!

4. I am also attaching a Letter to Parishioners from the local ordinary, Bishop Filipe Estevez, concerning the upcoming annual meeting of U.S. bishops and the whole subject of sexual abuse. Please read it and consider that your prayers and your participation in helping to clean up this wing of Holy Mother Church will mean much in coming days. Either that, or frankly, we close up shop, as the world will dismiss us as utterly irrelevant - or worse.

5. Finally, the good sisters of St. Joseph are offering two wonderful spiritually enriching workshops this month, on Saturday the 3rd, and Saturday the 17th. I don't have time to go into detail now, but feel free to either contact me or call the sisters at 904.824.5894 for more information.

That's it . . . I've got a class coming up real fast at St. Gerard Campus, and I have to run!

May God bless and love you all!
Fr. Nicholas A. Marziani, Jr., D.Min.