This weekend we are taking the annual Diocesan Seminarian and Clergy Education Collection. This is part of the responsibility for priestly vocations that all of us in the Church share: to ensure that there are adequate financial resources available to cover the costs of tuition and other fees for our seminarians, who are preparing for lives of priestly service, and to help provide for continuing education and ongoing formation opportunities for the priests of the diocese.
Another part of our common responsibility is to pray for and support more vocations to priesthood, permanent diaconate, and religious life. Please remember to pray daily for vocations and promote them within our parishes and families. Thanks to the nurturing environment already present here, one of our own Holy Family parishioners, Thomas Oldenburg, is in the first year of the Discipleship Stage of the priestly formation program for the Diocese of Greensburg. Please keep Thomas in your prayers as well as the other seven men who are currently in seminary formation for our diocese:
· Kevin Richardson from St. John the Evangelist Parish, Uniontown
· Mario Porreca from St. Anne Parish, Rostraver
· Tyler Randolph from Immaculate Conception Parish, Irwin
· Dale Hyland from St. Margaret Mary Parish, Lower Burrell
· Matteo Arcara from St. Paul Parish, Greensburg
· Ryan Scavnicky from Immaculate Conception Parish, Irwin
· Eli Halutick from Christ, Prince of Peace Parish, Ford City
During my years as a seminarian, I was always profoundly grateful for the prayerful support of people all around the diocese. I can assure you that these men do appreciate your prayers.
October 4 is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Because this most beloved saint had a great love of and respect for all of God’s creation (the classic hymn All Creatures of Our God and King and the contemporary Marty Haugen hymn Canticle of the Sun are based on the Canticle of the Sun, which St. Francis wrote 800 years ago), he is the patron saint of animals and of ecology. So, to celebrate this beloved saint’s feast, we will hold the customary of the Blessing of Animals next Sunday, October 6 at Noon in the CDT Parking Lot. While dogs and cats usually make up most of the attendees at this celebration, all critters are welcome.
Our Stewardship thought for the week from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2003 letter, Stewardship and Young Adults, seems particularly appropriate in the afterglow of this summer’s National Eucharistic Congress and the Eucharistic Revival of the past few years: “[A] clear sense of purpose—nourished by the Eucharist and our rich Catholic tradition—opens the door for us to actively commit to a life of gratitude and responsibility; to thank God for his endless gifts, and then to decide what we can do to help the world. The rewards include:
· Making a difference in people’s lives
· Becoming an active member of a fulfilling Catholic community
· Discovering talents inside of you, waiting to be used
· Letting go of your worries and setting realistic goals in both your spiritual and secular life
· Experiencing the amazing increase in God’s presence that comes with a partnership with the Lord”
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