Last Sunday, Pope Francis canonized 14 new saints. Among them were the Martyrs of Damascus, a group of 11 men killed in 1860 for refusing to renounce their Christian faith and convert to Islam. The martyrs, including eight Franciscan friars and three laymen, were attacked in a church in the Christian quarter of Damascus during a wave of religious violence.
According to witnesses, the brothers were offered the chance to live if they renounced their faith, but they refused. “We are Christians, and we want to live and die as Christians,” St. Francis Massabki reportedly said. All 11 were brutally killed that night, some beheaded, others stabbed to death.
When reflecting on their lives and fidelity to the faith, Pope Francis said: “They remained faithful servants. [They] served in martyrdom and in joy.” I found myself praying with the words of St. Francis Massabki, “We are Christians, and we want to live and die as Christians.”
What does it mean for us to be Christians? It certainly should be more than a title that we use to identify the faith that we profess. Today’s world needs us to live that faith now more than ever. However, it’s a challenge because it demands a way of life that will often place us in situations, and taking stands, that go against our increasingly secular society.
Are we doing anything to take a stand against the violence that has taken over so much of our world? Are we mindful of the words that come from our mouths? Are we building each other up rather than tearing one another down? What are we doing to support the poor, homeless, unemployed and underemployed? Are we supporting organizations that help care for families in need? Locally, are you helping our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society or Soup Kitchen financially or with the gift of your time?
We have an election just weeks away. How are we showing that we are Christians? Are we allowing our beliefs to help us make a choice in the voting booth that supports a candidate who will truly care for our country and her citizens? Are we taking some extra time to pray for each other as we prepare to vote? Are we including our politicians, all of them, in our prayers?
I invite you to pray with the words of St. Francis Massabki this week, “We are Christians, and we want to live and die as Christians.” Ask God to let those words echo in your ears, touch your heart, and fill your soul. Pray that you may come to a greater understanding of what it means to be a Christian so that each day of the rest of your life, you find yourself embracing your faith and allowing it to continually inform that way that you live. Then pray for one another asking God to help each of us live as Christians!
A few announcements:
Annual Bishops Appeal … Please prayerfully consider helping us invite thousands of Catholics in northeast Indiana to encounter Christ and each other. To make a gift, donate online at diocesefwsb.org/aba, or donate in person by placing your pledge card and check in the collection basket. If you didn’t receive a letter and pledge card in the mail, it means that you are NOT a registered member of the parish. Registration forms and pledge cards can be found on the table in the gathering space.
Parish Assessment: $ 9,892.21
Donated (as of 10/24): $ 9,504.19 THANK YOU for to all who have already donated and for helping us reach our goal for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal. We’re almost there! All monies collected over the goal will be returned to the parish for our needs.
Parish Pastoral Council … The next meeting has been RESCHEDULED. We will now meet on Saturday, November 9.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd … The November Atrium sessions will be held at 8:30 a.m. on the 10th and 17th. All Souls Envelopes … Can be found on the table in the gathering space. Please add the names of your deceased loved ones on the envelopes and they will be placed on the altar for the month of November.
Parish Picture Directory … The Parish Pastoral Council has approved an updated directory. A photographer will be with us on Sunday, October 27 and November 3 to take pictures after Mass. Please wear your “Sunday best!”
Holy Day of Obligation … Friday, November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints. We will have a Mass at 8:30 a.m. that day.
Memorial Mass… The family of Sally Dunn has scheduled her Memorial Mass for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 2 at St. A’s. Please continue to pray for Sally’s soul and the consolation of her family and friends.
After School Tutoring … Is free and will be offered every Thursday from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. in our parish hall. For more information, please contact Michael Busk at (574) 216-6577. St. A’s Women’s Group … Will meet on November 23 at 2:00 p.m. in the parish hall. Saturdays with the Saints … Has established itself as a popular Notre Dame football program ritual that combines the university’s rich traditions of Catholic faith and spirited game days. Notre Dame Theology faculty and McGrath Institute staff will deliver dynamic lectures on saints chosen for their uncommon virtue and their willingness to let their faith stand in contradiction to the wisdom of the world. November 9: St. Carlos Acutis and the many miracles of the Eucharist. Timothy O’Malley, Ph.D., Professor of the Practice, Theology. November 16: Explaining miracles with St. Thomas Aquinas. Therese Cory, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Thomistic Studies. Pope’s Intention for the Month of October … For a shared mission. We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people. Saint of the Week … All Saints Day(November 1) commemorates all the saints of the Church. In the 4th century the day remembered the martyrs but by the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV extended it to include all the saints. On this day we celebrate the spiritual bond that exists between our intercessors in heaven and us.