Sacred Heart Church

FEASTS OF SAINTS MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS

Dear Parish Family,

I love the month of October as it becomes the harvest time and crisp air. We prepare for the chill and dampness of winter.

Our souls are harvested with the great virtues as we celebrate the lives of so many favorite saints whose feast days are in October. The list is endless:

St. Therese of Lisieux                         Guardian Angels                       St. Francis of Assisi

St. Faustina                                         Our Lady of the Rosary            St. Denis

Fatima – October 13                           St. Therese of Avila                   St. Ignatius of Antioch

St. Isaac Jogues and Companions     St. Paul of the Cross                 St. John Paul II 

St. John of Capistrano                        St. Anthony Mary Claret            Saints Simon and Jude

What a line-up of witnesses!!! Pray to each of them. Take time to explore the lives of the saints.

Since we are observing proper protocols for gathering, we have not been able to have the wide range of ministries and socials as we have had in the past but God willing, sometime in the New Year.

In the meantime, I thought it was important to gather together monthly for contemplative prayer in the midst of so much uncertainty and troubled times. We need to spend some quiet time with Jesus, Our Lord and Savior in His Eucharistic presence.

We will begin October 13th, marking the last month of the Fatima apparitions with Our Lady, asking us to pray the rosary for world peace. Morning confessions will be as usual from 7-8 am. I will also hear confessions from 12-1 pm and again from 6-7 pm. Confessions will continue to be in the chapel. It is a beautiful prayer space for confessions with more room and better ventilation. I also have spiritual books for you to take and sacramentals such as rosaries and bibles.

After daily Mass at 8 am, I will expose the Blessed Sacrament on the main altar. We will have simple reposition prayers at 7 pm when we conclude the day. I ask that two people (or more) commit to an hour of prayer as we did before in the small chapel. The hours begin at 9 am and conclude at 7 pm. Please leave a message on the parish phone or email if you are interested in committing to an hour. I am hoping our past Monday prayer partners will take the lead. This will allow other people to come in for a few minutes or longer to pray without commitment.

I ask that you enter by the side door only. Disinfect your hands, enter the main body of the church, and sit where you like. Upon leaving, please disinfect your kneeler and pew. The bioesque disinfectant will be provided on a table along with sanitizer for your hands. Our ring cameras are in place and from 5-7 pm we will have security. We will not have the hall open so there will be no bathroom access for greater security.

All things being equal, we will have a monthly Eucharistic prayer gathering to keep us focused on God’s love for us and to become more reflective in our lives so we might truly see Jesus Christ in each other. Let us plan our monthly Adoration on the first Fridays of November and December.

Be at peace! Come enjoy the Lord!

God Bless!

Fr. Steve Marcoux

Your Pastor