Jesus said to His disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. Mark 13:33
We begin the season of Advent for the next four weeks. The word advent comes from the Latin term adventus meaning
“coming”.
The Advent season, then, is both a time of joy-filled, anticipatory celebration of the birth of Jesus, and the arrival of
Jesus Christ in His second coming at the end of time. So how should we celebrate this time while waiting for His coming?
Well, one way is by putting together an Advent wreath, a custom started in 16th-century Germany.
Typically, the Advent wreath is a circle of branches or a garland with four or five candles arranged on the wreath.
During the season of Advent, one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday as a part of the Advent services.
Many families enjoy making their own Advent Wreath to celebrate the season at home as well. The traditional structure
involves three purple (or dark blue) candles and one rose or pink one and often with a single, larger white candle in the
center. Each week of Advent an additional candle is lit.
But what if Jesus is coming back for good soon? What should we do? Draw close to Him by spending quality time with
Him in prayer and reading His word in the Bible as a family…”Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the
house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” Mark 13:37
Have a Blessed Week

November 15 is the feast day of St. Albert the Great.  He studied Liberal Arts at the University of Padua and, in 1223, joined the Dominican order where he taught theology in Germany. He made a profound impact on the Church that many saints would build upon.  Albert was also a bishop in Germany and adviser to the pope.  He loved teaching and one of his best-known pupils was St. Thomas Aquinas, who would go on to shape the Church’s intellectual tradition. Albert died at the age of 74 but left behind a treasury of 38 books on a wide variety of subjects.  Canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1931, he is the patron saint of medical technicians and scientists. He was the only scholar of his age to be called “the Great”.

Here in Auburn is a Catholic School named St. Albert the Great Academy.  In collaboration with parents and guardians as the primary educators, the school seeks to educate the whole child in the Catholic tradition by providing an excellent education rooted in gospel values; thereby fostering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The school emphasizes classical learning and values moral formation as part of the learning process in all subject areas. Catholic education can make a difference for your child.                                                                           
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:5

Have a Blessed Week!

In Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has
come from their lives and follow the example of their faith. “
November 5-11, 2023 is National Vocation Awareness, an annual celebration in the United States Catholic Church dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life.
We must we plant the seeds of our faith in our youth as they begin to discern God’s call on their lives. We firmly believe that God has a plan for our lives! He calls some to marriage, some to the priesthood and diaconate, and others to religious life or to live as a single person. Fully living our own vocations—and teaching young people how to discern God’s call—is a serious duty.
During this Vocations Awareness Week, please encourage the young people in your life—children, grandchildren, students, and friends—to be open if God calls them to priesthood or religious life.
It is important that we also remember to pray for the priests, deacons and religious in our community. Now, more than ever, we need good and faithful servants. There is no greater asset to the work of vocation promotion than happy, healthy, and holy priests, deacons and religious serving in our parishes and schools.
I believe there is no more convincing sign to a young person about the beauty of a vocation than a servant of God who exudes the joy of the Gospel.
If any of our future confirmation candidates feel like you’re called to ministry, you may wonder if that path is right for you. There is a great deal of responsibility associated with ministry work so this is not a decision to take lightly. A great way to help make your decision is to compare what you’re feeling to what the Bible has to say about ministry. This strategy for examining your heart is useful because it gives you insight into what it means to be a priest, deacon or religious.
Prayer is our greatest resource for navigating the choices we have in life. It is also our greatest strength in our daily battles.
Remember to include our ministries and servants when you and your families are praying together

When considering holidays in November, most people immediately think of Veterans Day and Thanksgiving and that’s it. Don’t get me wrong, they are important too! However, one significant holiday for many Christians falls at the very start of November—
All Saints’ Day, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. It’s preceded by All Hallows’ Eve on Tuesday, Oct. 31, and followed by All Souls’ Day on Thursday, Nov. 2. All Saints’ Day recognizes those known to God as saints, celebrating all faithful followers of Jesus throughout church history. It’s a feast day remembering those who have gone before us, honoring their lives and faithfulness. Believers come together to celebrate communion with saints through the ages, recognizing their continued participation in the body of Christ.

This year All Saints’ Day is a is considered a holy day of obligation, meaning parishioners are required to attend Mass. All Saints’ Day was declared a feast day on May 13 in 609 AD by Pope Boniface IV. On that day, he consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the virgin Mary and all the martyrs. The official date of November 1 was established by Pope Gregory III during his reign (731-741AD), when he dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica, honoring “all saints” One hundred years later, Pope Gregory IV made All Saints’ Day an official Holy Day for the worldwide Church, not just those churches in Rome. Check your church bulletin for the mass
times and bring the children to church.

“The prayers of the saints rise up before God, and then God acts on earth.”
Revelation 8:3:

On All Souls’ many Christians visit cemeteries where their loved ones are buried. Some churches offer candles to be placed on the altar which are blessed and marked with the names of the deceased and can be placed at the designated grave sites.
REMEMBRANCE CANDLES are being offered in preparation for All Souls Day, Thursday, November 2, 2023. Each candle can have a photo of your deceased loved one, along with the birth and death dates. The candle will be blessed and lit and made available
at a special Requiem Mass on All Souls Day. The Mass will be at at St. Mary’s Church, Auburn at 7:00 p.m. It is a very beautiful service: if your schedule permits you to attend, it is a good way to remember your family members who have died.