Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The way our culture currently recognizes Halloween is more than scary… it is wrong. Let me attempt to clarify a few things. This week we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints, which is celebrated every November 1. This celebration dates back to the fourth century. It was originally called the Feast of All Martyrs and it was celebrated on May 13. The words “martyr” and “saint” originally meant basically the same thing — someone who is a witness to Christ even unto death.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Lord has blessed St. Joan of Arc parish with many amazing folks. Specifically, your generosity has enabled our parish debt to be paid down almost $100,000 in one year! Some parishioners have been able to give a bit more so our plate collection and our “Save Our Parish” collections have both increased a bit this year. As a result, we have been able to invest more in our Music, Religious Education and Junior High/High School programs. We have see our parish increase in total numbers of parishioners. There have been some incredible donations from generous individuals of our parish that have enabled us to take care of some much needed maintenance issues.

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"Mercy Changes the World"

OnWorld Mission Sunday, October 23, Pope Francis invites each of us to be part of that change for our world of great need, calls us to announce the mercy of God, "the beating heart of the Gospel" (Misericordiae Vultus,12).

On this 90th World Mission Sunday, our diocesan family joins our brothers and sisters around the world who will gather at the Lord's Table to celebrate, with great joy, our common vocation as missionaries. Our prayers and financial help, through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, support the work of the Mission Church, its witness to Christ and service to the poor.

"Let us not close our hearts within our own particular concerns, but let us open them to all of humanity, "Message for World Mission

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I found this excerpt from a little pamphlet called: Those Who Serve God Should Not Follow the Fashions. It was first published in 2003 and the revised Fifth Edition came out in June 2015. It was put together by Robert T. Hart. I found this section interesting. Obviously it was written in a different time under very different conditions. I welcome your thoughts on this as well. He begins:

Dear Catholic ladies, you must clearly understand that, while not all men are tempted in the same way or to the same extent, in general, bare thighs, mid-riffs, shoulders, and backs; low cut, sheer or see-through blouses and shirts; and dresses with long slits are all sources of temptation. Therefore, all these must all be absolutely avoided to avoid serious sin.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

There is no need to go into all the various types of clothing here. It is enough to say that there are different appropriate modes of dress for different occasions, e.g. in the privacy of our home, with our spouse only or with our children in our home, at work or school, in mixed company, at the lake or swimming pool, grocery shopping, at church, etc.

Dressing appropriately begins by looking at what is going on inside our heart. A pure heart seeks to do things that are pleasing to God. A pure heart leads a person closer to God. A pure heart leads a person to do godly things. Sacred Scripture reminds us that “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication…” (Matthew 15:19) and “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Perhaps you have questioned the immodesty that is seen everywhere in the world and unfortunately even in our churches. Some people have asked me about where the Church draws the line and calls a garment immodest? I would like to help clarify some issues concerning what is modest and what is not. I would also like to shed some light on how proper attire can actually glorify God.

Here is what the Church teaches in the catechism about modesty:
“Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.” (CCC 2522).

And…

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You and I are made in the image and likeness of God!!!

I was reading an article from Catholic Answers on chastity that reminded me of how God was reverenced in the Old Testament. God’s presence dwelt in the most sacred place… the Holy of Holies. This holiest of places was veiled, concealed, and set apart. Why? God’s presence dwelt within it. Since God is beauty itself, then it makes sense that we reverence God’s presence with awe and humility. Hopefully you have learned from the time you were a small child that God dwells within each one of us because we are temples of the Holy Spirit. The Holy of Holies, the most sacred place, can be a metaphor for the woman. Specifically, her body is a sacred place that deserves to be reverenced and respected by all and her body is to be revealed only to the one who is worthy to see her.

Dear Sisters in Christ,

You are beautiful because you are made in the image of God!!! You deserve all the dignity and respect due to you as God’s beloved daughter! Don’t take my word for it. Look again at what Our Lord says to you in the Sacred Scriptures.

God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27

You are made in the image of God!!! God is all beauty and God made you beautiful. In light of that truth, I wanted to address an issue that seems to impact many women these days. Now I must admit I am no expert… but I have enough insight into the human condition to know that women are rarely given the dignity and respect that God intends for His beloved daughters. Sadly, this lack of dignity has led to the objectification of women by men AND women. I believe that when a culture fails to see the presence of God as reflected in His beloved children, they the culture will fail to see God.

Consider now the way of light; any man who is bent on reaching his appointed goal must be very careful in all he does. Now these are the directions that have been given to us for this journey: love your Creator; reverence your Maker; give glory to him who redeemed you when you were dead; be single-minded but rich in spiritual treasure; avoid those who travel down death’s highway; hate whatever is displeasing to God; detest all hypocritical pretense; do not abandon God’s commandments. Do not put on airs, but be modest whatever you do; claim no credit for yourself. Plot no evil against your neighbor, and do not give pride an entrance into your heart.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I will summarize these Pastor’s Notes on the question of kneeling vs. standing by saying that the norm in the United States is to receive standing, but those who wish to receive kneeling may freely do so. To refuse those who kneel Holy Communion is a grave violation, and no one may impose upon them nor accuse them of disobedience simply because they chose to kneel. Therefore, no one distributing Holy Communion may prohibit or deter any member of the faithful from receiving on his or her knees if he or she so chooses.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Can a priest or Extra Ordinary Minister of Holy Communion refuse Holy Communion to those who kneel? Absolutely not. A parishioner whose pastor had instituted a policy of refusing Communion to those who presented themselves kneeling presented this question to the magisterium in 2002.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Does everyone have to kneel or everyone have to stand when it comes to receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion as a sign of greater unity? Thankfully, the magisterium (teaching authority of the Church) addresses this question in their official journal Notitiae to help clarify this question. Their conclusion was that there could be some “variance” when it comes to the faithful deciding to stand or to kneel when receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion.