Dear Friends,
We are looking forward with joy to the celebration of Confirmation and the visit of Archbishop Pérez this coming Saturday, November 5. Please pray for the candidates and their families as these young disciples take this step into being fully incorporated into Christ. What a blessing to receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit and all His gifts!
This week sees two other special days as well. November 1, the solemn feast of All Saints when we acknowledge and celebrate all those who have entered into the glory of God and His everlasting Kingdom. November 2, the commemoration of All the Faithful Departed when we pray for all our beloved dead and all the souls in Purgatory that they all may enter quickly into God’s glory and Kingdom.
November 4 also is a special day for all our priests, the feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, the patron of our Seminary. Saint Charles was a good Bishop who worked tirelessly for all and for the reforming of the Church in his time. The week following (November 6 – 12) is dedicated as Vocation Awareness Week in our country. We are invited to pray for more vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life as well as for all those who are in formation, especially in our Archdiocese. The Vocation Office for Diocesan Priesthood has many events planned around the Archdiocese. You can check out this link for the full schedule of their events: https://heedthecall.org/events/vaw22/ .
We have had some supply and scheduling issues for the work on the confessionals. We are nearing completion. Once the work is done, we will have the entire space cleaned up for use. Thank you for your patience. In the meantime, we have been utilizing two temporary spots in the Chapel for confessions. One up front next to the Tabernacle; the other, in the back near the emergency exit. You are able to kneel or to sit at both locations. We have sacred music playing in the background and encourage those coming to confession to line up just outside the doors into Chapel, so everyone has privacy. Thanks.
By the time you read this, the Phillies will be two games into the World Series. It’s great to see them make it to the Series. Hoping they can go all the way…
God bless you, God love you,
Monsignor McCulken
