Recently someone asked if we include parishioners who celebrate birthdays in the Prayer of the Faithful at the Masses during the week as we do on the weekend.  The answer is yes.  I chose to do this at all Masses as a means to be more "personal" in a parish that is large and therefore challenged to be "personal" in the ministries and activities that are done here.  If a parishioner for some reason does not want to be prayed for by name on his or her birthday, please let me know by phone or through my e-mail address, and I will respect your wishes.  Speaking of birthdays, I want to thank all of those who remembered my birthday last week through spoken words, songs, cards and/or gifts.  God bless you for your thoughtfulness to me.

Most of us have had the experience of someone coming to our home and asking to come in to speak to us about God and the beliefs of his (or her) faith tradition.  This is one way to literally "bring" the Good News of Jesus Christ to others. There are, of course, other ways to do this.  We can invite people to our home in the hopes that they will respond to our invitation.

On Sunday, October 9, we hope that people whom you have invited and encouraged, will come to our home, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, to see and hear what the Catholic Church is all about and perhaps find a new faith home with us.  This happens from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. and will include representatives from parish organizations and ministries. Refreshments will also be served.  This is one way that we all can reach out with the good news of The Lord and His church to others.  This open house is for anyone and includes those who may have left the practice of the Catholic faith.

In my homily last Sunday I spoke about the "call of God" to do His work coming throughout our lives, even in our retirement years.  That call for some of us, may be to serve in the liturgical ministry, especially at Mass.  For some, it may be to serve as a "Helping Hand" to someone in need (call Cathy Wedwick at 915-8456 or Pat Widlowski at 922-1395) or pick-up an application on the table in the hallway of the Education building.  And for some, it may be to participate in our prayer chain which means accepting requests for prayer for people who need the help of The Lord because of sickness or other serious needs.  Call Kathy Oesterle at 922-3552 or Suzy Gieringer at 915-9777 if you would like to serve in this ministry.  Finally, the call to help the hungry in our area (which seems to grow louder these days) will hopefully lead you to begin (or continue) to bring non-perishable food items to church on the weekends to support the efforts of Jackson House and perhaps (if there's plenty of food) the Food Pantry at Harvey's Chapel Baptist Church in Mountain Pine.  The call from God is ringing out at all times and in many ways.  Won't you answer "yes" to one, or some, of these calls?  The results will be very rewarding.