Dear Parish Family,

We celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome this Sunday. If we consider that every Diocese has a Cathedral, and that the Lateran Basilica is the Cathedral of Rome, then we can see that the Lateran Basilica is the "Mother Church" of the whole Catholic Church. It is the spiritual home for all Catholics throughout the world, and the place where the Pope has proclaimed the infallible doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary. We are grateful for the gift of the Lateran Basilica where God's truth is proclaimed which unites us as one Body in Christ.

 

Veteran's Day is this Tuesday. We pray this week for the safety and wellbeing of all veterans of our armed forces and all active military. On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your service to our country and protection of our freedoms under God!

 

Fr. Fabian, Fr. Gary and I are honored to celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick at our Masses this weekend. The Sacrament is for those who are experiencing a serious illness, a life-threatening condition or diagnosis, or experiencing the debilitating effects of age. If you or a loved one needs to be anointed but cannot come to Mass to be anointed, please call our parish office and one of our priests will arrange a visit.

 

You may wish to pick up a Funeral Pre-Planning Folder in our gathering space this month. While these are available year-round, November is a fitting month to look at how Christ and His Church invite us to consider our own death and the Funeral Liturgies of the Church which should be part of our arrangements. Having a Funeral Plan in place both helps us know the Church's teaching on funeral arrangements and helps family members entrusted with our funeral arrangements to plan our funerals in keeping with these teachings. All the information you need is included in the folder to plan, and it's never too early or too late to get a plan in place!

We pray the St. Michael Prayer at the end of our daily Masses on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Pat's. I want to give a brief overview of the importance of the St. Michael Prayer for our Church and to encourage you to include this prayer in your regular times of prayer.

Pope Leo XIII wrote the St. Michael Prayer in 1884 (a much lengthier version) based on a vision he received while celebrating Mass about Satan's intentions to destroy the Church. The prayer was included towards the end of the old Latin Rite of Mass up until the Novus Ordo was established in 1964. Pope Saint John Paul II wrote in 1994 that "Pope Leo XIII certainly had a very vivid recollection of this scene [Rev. 12:7] when, at the end of the last century, he introduced a special prayer to St. Michael throughout the Church. Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world."

 

With all the evil and suffering throughout our world, we can benefit greatly from a regular recitation of the St. Michael Prayer both individually and as a community of faith after Mass has ended. Next month, I will provide a few more remarks about the name of St. Michael which means "Who is like God?" as a remedy to the prideful rebellion of Lucifer who tries to take the place of God himself. St. Michael, pray for us!

 

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

I am yours in Christ,

Fr. Scott Goodfellow