From
the Pastor
This Sunday, we commemorate the Solemnity of Christ the King, as we celebrate this last Sunday of our liturgical year. In our Gospel reading from St. Matthew, Jesus reminds us that when he comes in glory at the end of time, we will be judged by simple acts of Christian charity for the least of our brothers and sisters. Your generous donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Society last weekend will surely assure you a position with the elect on that day of judgment!
As we prepare to celebrate American Thanksgiving Day this week, we should all take time to pause and thank God for our many blessings. Each of us has been blessed in a profound way by the Lord. Each blessing to us is a sign of God's particular love and providence for us. We have many reasons to thank God! -- Let us gather as a parish family this Thanksgiving to do just that.
This Thanksgiving, we will have two special parish Masses to mark the holiday. On Thanksgiving Eve, we will be celebrating a Thanksgiving Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Kickapoo at 7:00p.m. This country setting of Sacred Heart reminds us of the rural roots of that first Thanksgiving in Plymouth Colony almost four centuries ago. We will also have a Thanksgiving Day Eucharist at 10:00a.m. at Immaculate Conception. Please remember to bring canned goods to either Thanksgiving Mass as a gift for the needy of our area. Brother Joseph will be leaving us this Sunday for a week with his parents for a Texas Thanksgiving.
We have two very special reasons to give thanks as a parish family this Thanksgiving: The successful pilgrimage of our youth and chaperones to World Youth Day 2005 in Germany, and the successful completion of our 150th Jubilee Year at Immaculate Conception Parish. This Sunday at 7:00p.m. at St. Joseph Church, our World Youth Day participants and their chaperones will be presenting a brief audio-visual presentation of their trip to Germany and their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. After a time of sharing by our young pilgrims, there will be a reception in Kinzler Hall for everyone. (Rumor has it that Brother David may just present a few of his coveted eclairs to the faithful in attendance - ! This evening will give our pilgrims a chance to thank our parishioners for their financial support for their trip to Germany, and our parishioners a chance to hear about their experiences. We hope to see you there!
Happy Thanksgiving and God bless you always!
