31th Sunday                    in Ordinary Time

 

Presiding Today: 

Fr. Loren Connell

 

In Today’s Mass We Pray For:

Martha Kramer &

Connor Campbell

 

Proclaimers of the Word:

Mike & Teresa Bickett

 

This Week’s Readings 

October 31

Wisdom 11:22-12:2

2Thessalonians 1:11-2:2

Luke 19:1-10;41-43

 

Next Week’s Readings 

November 7

2 Maccabees 7:1-6,24-30,39-41

2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5

Luke 20:27-38

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

 

Alternative Bazaar

November 6

 

Chili Cook-off

November 7

St. Leonard Faith Community

Loren T. Connell, OFM

chaplain/moderator

937-436-6440

brolocon@sbcglobal.net

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Tomorrow, November 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of all Saints, ordinarily a holy day of obligation. Because the solemnity falls on a Monday, the obligation does not bind this year. The senior living community will celebrate Mass at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Obligation or not, all members of the faith community are welcome.

The medieval Church celebrated numerous holy days of obligation. Peasants were relieved of their heavy labor and gave praise to God at Mass. In addition to Sunday, the Roman Church currently observes other ten holy days of obligation: Mary Mother of God, Epiphany, Saint Joseph, Ascension, Body and Blood of the Lord, Saints Peter and Paul, Assumption of Mary, All Saints, Immaculate Conception of Mary, and Christmas. Different countries may observe different days from that list.

Christmas, the highest ranking of those solemnities, is always a day of obligation.  The American Church does not observe Saint Joseph and Saints Peter and Paul as days of obligation; and we have transferred Epiphany, Ascension, and (in most dioceses) the Body and Blood of the Lord to Sundays. Mary Mother of God, Assumption, and All Saints are days of obligation here unless they occur on a Saturday or Monday.  December 8, Immaculate Conception, is always a day of obligation for us because Mary, under that title, is the patroness of our country.

Holy Thursday and Good Friday have a higher liturgical rank than any day of obligation, and Ash Wednesday ranks higher than most days of obligation. For historical reasons none of those three is a day of obligation. Good Catholics, however, do their best to observe them as such.

Tuesday, November 2, is the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. It has never been a day of obligation, but many Catholics make it an occasion to remember their deceased loved ones. The senior living community will celebrate Mass at 9:00 AM. As always, members of the faith community are welcome.

                                                Peace and every blessing,

                                                    Loren, OFM