Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

News and Notes:  On this Columbus Day weekend, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation at the 5PM Sunday Mass at St. Maria Goretti Parish.  Perhaps it is good to remember what the Sacrament of Confirmation is not:  It is not a graduation ceremony from a Faith Formation program; it is not a rite of passage that magically marks a teenager’s arrival into adulthood; it is not a required hoop one must go through in order to get married in the Church at a later date (although Confirmation is strongly encouraged before marriage); it is not just a spiritual occasion for a photo-op and party. Confirmation isone of the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism and Eucharist are the other two).  Confirmation is the Sacrament that seals and deepens our baptism; it increases the gifts the Holy Spirit gives us; it unites us more firmly to Christ; and it strengthens us to spread and defend the faith as true witnesses of Christ in the world, no matter when we receive it.  Confirmation is the Sacrament that empowers us to be active members of the Church, and fulfills one of the requirements for Catholics to serve as godparents in the years to come.  Let’s pray for our Confirmation candidates as they receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and strive to be credible witnesses for Christ and his Church for the rest of their lives.

Two upcoming Events:  Fr. Paul Soper, the Archdiocesan Secretary for Evangelization and Discipleship, is conducting listening sessions for Phase I and II Collaboratives during the months of September and October.  The purpose of these listening sessions is to hear from parishioners about the process of implementing the Collaborative model of parish life, and to learn from this input to enhance the rollout of the remaining Collaboratives in the coming years.  He will be visiting us on Sunday, October 16 at 6:30PM in the OLA Church Hall.  All adult members of our parishes and school community are encouraged to attend and participate.

The St. Maria Goretti Finance Council will be conducting a Town Hall style meeting for SMG parishioners on Thursday, October 27 at 7PM in the SMG Church Hall.  The Council members will be presenting a financial report on the previous fiscal year, trends over the past few years, and then our Collaborative Development Committee, co-chaired by Rich Mazzola and Marianne Rooney Hegan, will be presenting a plan for the way forward.  Join us for this important gathering.  Blessings to all of you in the week ahead!