The clock is ticking on the start of our prayer formation series, Oremus, which begins the first week in October.  This eight-week (one, to one and a half hours each week) program encourages and teaches new ways of prayer through the use of the Bible.  We have a variety of days and times (as listed in the Oremos article in the Parish News section on our website) that you can choose to participate and grow in the most important relationship that any of us can have, with God.

Recently we were informed by the publisher of this program that they had to reorder 10,000 more copies to accommodate all the requests for workbooks for this study.  The workbooks will cost the participants $12, plus shipping and handling, so you will have an investment of time and money if you choose to say "yes" to this experience.

I pray that we will offer this experience again in the future, as the first participants hopefully will encourage their friends to do it after they have finished the program.  The sign-up tables are in the narthex and registration ends September 23, so please don't delay in signing up.

The placing of all the white crosses was somewhat of a tedious task AND it was a sobering reminder that each cross represents a life that is taken each day through abortion.  While the figure of 4,000 abortions everyday in our country has gone down about one or two hundred a day (THANKS BE TO GOD!), if we were to have the actual number of crosses representing abortions each year (and could find real estate to put all crosses), we would be (I hope) appalled as we saw miles and miles of white crosses. 

The effort to change hearts, minds and laws to reverence and protect Life is always before us.  October is Respect Life Month, and I ask you to educate yourselves on Life issues and how to stand up for every human life as a gift from God from conception until natural death.  When you pass by the white crosses on our church property, say a prayer for lives lost and hopefully for lives saved through the efforts of so many people.

I wanted to give you an update on our efforts to start Perpetual Adoration in our parish.  I have spoken with Bishop Taylor and he gave two "thumbs up" to Perpetual Adoration as he shared with me that he has been at two parishes that started it in Oklahoma, and they experienced many wonderful fruits from it.

We will be offering inserts in the bulletin the next four weekends to inform you about many aspects of having Perpetual Adoration.  There is growing enthusiasm among some people in our parish for doing this, and personally, I am positive about starting this great Eucharistic devotion.

On the weekend of September 28-29, we will welcome Father Joseph Deluca, who is a member of the religious order, Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament.  He will preach at all the Masses and will encourage us at those Masses to actually commit to being a regular hourly adorer or a substitute.  It is only then that we will know whether we can start Perpetual Adoration in our parish.

Please continue to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit on all of us in this parish on this and other matters of faith that present themselves to us.