Fr. Mike's Message - 10/04/2020

Dear SFB Parish Family,
 
Today (Sunday) we will celebrate First Holy Communion! Congratulations to our 3rd graders who will be receiving the Lord in the Eucharist for the first time. We welcome Cardinal Timothy Dolan for one of our celebrations and we are so grateful to him for blessing us with his presence here at St. Francis Borgia. Cardinal Dolan is the great-uncle of two of our 3rd grade students. What a joy for all that he can be here and offer them their First Communion. Please keep our 3rd graders and their families in your prayers as they gather to celebrate this special occasion.

We are partnering with Our Lady of Lourdes to restart our Youth Ministry. On the 1st Tuesday of the month, we will have an evening for middle school age students at Our Lady of Lourdes from 6:30-8:00 pm. All students, no matter where they attend school are invited to attend. And on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, we will host a gathering for high school students beginning with Mass at 6:30 pm followed by a program over at Notre Dame Hall on the second floor. All high school students are welcome!

You may hear some church bells ringing around town today more than usual. The ringing of bells is part of Bells Across America, an effort coordinated by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation that is meant to honor firefighters across the nation who have died in the line of duty. Please take a moment today to pray for the firefighters, first responders, and military personnel who have made the supreme sacrifice while serving our country and communities. And pray for those who continue to serve us.  We are blessed with a great Fire Department, Police Department, and Ambulance District that serve us.  

Let me express on behalf of all of us a huge thank you to Tim & Nikki Larrison and to Philip and Mary Kleekamp for their work in organizing this year’s Fall Festival Raffle. Though we were all sad to not gather in person for the Fall Festival, once again this parish stepped up and worked together to help the parish not feel the pinch of missing an event like this. We were able to raise $42,583 through the Raffle, which is really wonderful.

And the Chicken/BBQ drive-thru dinner at the KC Hall was super crowded and exceeded everyone’s expectations. The lines were long, people were patient, the volunteers worked very hard, and the food was great! Along with all the blessings of working together, we raised $2,000 from the Chicken Dinner. Thank you, once again, for all of your support.

Another huge thank you to the wonderful volunteers for one outstanding Rummage Sale. Wow! People donated a LOT of things to be sold and there were large crowds on both days of people seeking to find new treasures. Thanks to all (teens and adults) who helped to organize, sort, sell, assist customers, and clean up after the sale. The rummage sale raised $5,271.55. Another example of how blessed we are.

A few upcoming events to keep on your radar:

• Next Sunday, Oct. 11th, we will have our October Rosary as a parish.  Please see the note from Deacon Leon in this bulletin that will list all the details.
• We are planning to have our Sausage Dinner on Sunday, October 18th. This year we will be doing it differently by offering meals drive-through style, but it’s the same tasty sausage as always!
• On Monday, November 2nd, we will gather for a special All Souls Day Mass to honor those from our parish who have died this past year.  Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. and we would love to have you join us to pray for our beloved dead and their loved ones.

On Sunday, November 29th, we are looking forward to hosting Archbishop Rozanski for the 11:00 Mass.  During this Mass, Archbishop Rozanski will formally install me as Pastor of St. Francis Borgia Parish.  All are welcome for this celebration.

Have a great week! Thank you for all you do to support our Parish and community.

Fr. Mike Boehm,  Pastor