…”When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The Gospel this weekend again focuses our attention and outlines our priorities. How do we put God first in our lives? In the busyness of October (shocking that it’s almost over) how do we make the Lord our top priority? How do we best express our love for God in the way we care for one another?
…This weekend is National Priesthood Sunday. It’s a time for us to celebrate the gift of priesthood in the life of our Church. It’s also a time for us to encourage and pray for vocations to the priesthood along with the diaconate and consecrated life. This year we are blessed to have Josh Cochrac from Saint Mary Seminary doing his field education/internship year. We are also blessed to have Don Brandt who is preparing for the diaconate program – also doing his field education here at Saint Ambrose. We pray for Josh and Don along with our own member, Matt Harley, who is preparing for the diaconate. May God bless them as they respond to God’s call. May they inspire many from our own parish to consider God’s calling in their lives.
…As we celebrate Tom Bonezzi’s birthday, we continue to ask God to bless him as he discerns God’s call in his life.
…Last week’s Fall Mission with Jon Leonetti was a great blessing. The church was full and his message really helped inspire us to walk in the path of the Lord – the path to true joy. Many thanks to Jane Baldwin and her Adult Faith Formation Team for their efforts to help our parish grow closer to the Lord. Jane and her team are working hard to make sure we all have opportunities to grow closer to the Lord. Our Lent mission is with Father Michael Denk on February 11-13, 2018. He will help all of us kick off the BEST LENT we have ever had. Mark your calendars now.
…Father Rob is home!!! He and the group who journeyed to Rome and Milan had an amazing time and a real encounter with the Lord and the richness of our faith. It’s great to have the group back home safe and sound!
…This week we celebrate the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls. It’s a special time of remembering our loved ones who have gone home to the Lord. All Saints is a holy day of obligation. Please join us for Mass on Tuesday at 7 pm or Wednesday at 8:15 am, 12 noon or 7 pm. The special Mass of remembrance on All Souls is at 7 pm. Please join us as we remember all of our family members and parish family members who have gone home to the Lord over the past year.
…As part of our 60th anniversary celebration, we are inviting all the Founders of our parish community to join us on All Saints at the 12 noon Mass for a prayer and celebration. Afterward please join us for lunch in the Mother Teresa Room. For more information or to reserve your place, please contact Jane Baldwin (jbaldwin@StAmbrose.us or 330.460.7381)
…Special thanks to all who serve our community in the New Life Choir, Funeral Servers and Greeters, along with those who offer hospitality to our families after a funeral. Thanks also to those who bring great care and compassion through our bereavement ministries and Grief Share. We are so blessed by the way so many of our members bring care and support at the time of loss.
…We are blessed to welcome our new Bishop to Saint Ambrose on Saturday, December 16 for the 4:30 pm Mass. Bishop Perez wants to come for Mass and meet you – the good people of Saint Ambrose. Please mark your calendars.
…in the coming weeks, there are many opportunities to help our neighbors. As you can see in today’s bulletin, we are collecting gently used coats for families in the city. We are starting to ramp up for Thanksgiving by collecting pies and turkeys. You can also get Applebee’s gift cards to give as gifts and support our Catholic Works of Mercy efforts to care for those in need. Love God. Love your neighbor.
…Please join us for Magic Gives Back next Sunday, November 5 with Rick Smith, Jr. He brings a real show with amazing illusions and tricks to entertain children of all ages. It’s a great show close to home. Watch the video. This one you won’t want to miss. It really is a GREAT show and good for anyone who likes magic and illusions.
…Many thanks to all who came to the Town Hall meetings to learn about the ideas and plans our Vision 20/20 team is putting together for our Church renovation/updating. We will be placing all the information on our parish website so you can see the pictures yourself. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Go to: www.StAmbrose.us/Vision20/20.
…This coming Monday our students in PSR and SAS will be participating in a special Children’s Ministry Fair. All of us have gifts to share. Parents and grandparents please encourage your family members to share a gift and talent for the Lord and our parish community. I shared the story last week that my own niece/goddaughter Becca sings with the Angel Choir and cantors at Masses. I saw her walking around the campus last week humming Church songs. You just know that those songs of God’s love and promise are planted deep in her heart. How can we work together to make sure all of our children have that same message planted deep in them for ever?
…Thank you for all the ways you put God first. I see it over and again. This week’s parish mission was one example of hundreds and hundreds of our members choosing joy, peace, happiness – choosing the Lord. Have a blessed week.
