Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus!
Last Saturday, November 2, All Souls Day, we prayerfully remembered our deceased loved ones. We did well in praying for them. Tomorrow, Monday, November 11, we celebrate Veterans Day. This is the day when we honor all the veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. This is a day to pray for them and a day to express our gratitude for their service to our country. God knows how we need His help and the help of our service men and women to protect us from harm.
This past week, there were several important events in the parish. On Saturday, November 2, we had a leadership training session with Sister Donna Ciangio (She is a Dominican Sister of Caldwell who is the director of Church Leadership Consultation and works nationally and internationally with parishes. She is also Chancellor of our Archdiocese.) The training was for those who are currently leading some ministries and groups in our parish. It was also for potential leaders identified by the parish staff. There will be more recruitment of potential leaders in the near future.
Last Sunday, November 3, the children in our Faith Formation program, together with their catechists and parents, had so much fun in the annual Family Faith Festival. They gathered in the Maria Room to pray and sing together, prepared meal packages and hygiene kits for a local homeless shelter, made get-well cards and flower arrangements for the sick, sent thoughtful notes to the seniors in nursing homes, decorated thanksgiving crafts, wrote prayer intentions and participated in other service projects such as cleaning outside the church and convent. This is such a great act of love by these children. They put into action what they learn from the School of Religion through the efforts of their catechists and parents.
The other happening this past week was a sad one. We bid goodbye to a well-loved, very good and faithful servant of God and our dear brother, Deacon Nick Fargo. You can read a little write up about him on the cover of this bulletin. He will surely be missed. Our prayers go out for the repose of his soul and for his remaining family. And for those of you who went to pay your respect to Deacon Nick, either at the wake service or funeral Mass, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! May God bless us all!
Love,
Father Marty