October 6, 2024

During October, we pay special tribute to one of the most common devotions in the Church – the holy rosary. Near the start of his pontificate, Pope Francis spoke to young people about his 5-finger prayer. He assigned to each finger a different category of people to pray for. I have recently adapted this technique in my own prayer life and applied it to praying the rosary. For the first decade and the thumb, I pray in a particular way for those who support me, my benefactors, family, and friends, and those who, in a sense, give me a ‘thumbs up.’ The second decade, and the pointer finger, remind me to pray for those to whom ‘I point to’ in my effort to share leadership in the parish. With the middle finger and the third decade, I pray in a particular way for those I have offended. There really is no way around it; Pope Francis set aside this finger for our leaders, which is equally problematic, so I make the best of it and pray for this specific group every time I pray the rosary. With the ring finger, along with the fourth decade, I pray for the newly married, those preparing for marriage, and indeed all married couples; that their vows to each other ‘ring’ true. Finally, for the fifth decade and the pinkie – the weakest of the fingers, I pray for the lost or lonely, the sick and homebound, and all those who feel small or unnoticed. I hope you and your family join me in praying for the rosary this month. In particular, I pray that we all grow in our respect for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. In that spirit of praying together, I proceed to our monthly gratitude list. 

In Gratitude to:  

· Fr. Kevin Bryan, for covering the Masses for me while I was away, I’m sure that he took great care of you which allowed me to rest easy on my retreat/vacation. I also want to thank all the ministers for your flexibility over this time period as well, working with different priests can sometimes be stressful. Thank you for your ministry. 

· Kathy Roy, for her years of service to Saints Aloysius and Benedict, for staying on a bit longer to help train Patrick McMurray, our new Bookkeeper, and for her dedication to you, the parishioners. Please join me in thanking her for her service. 

· Kassie McCubbins, for covering the music ministry for Jeanie so that she and her family could take a much-deserved vacation. Thank you Kassie, and all of our music ministers, for sharing your talents with your parish community! 

· Mom and dad for keeping my dog Bruno while I was away. He is just as thankful as I am.

Requests for:

•    Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors – we can certainly use more parishioners who are willing to step up and serve their community. Training is available either through the Archdiocese or together here at your parish. Please let me know if you are interested. 

Two Parishes, One Heart,

Fr. Adam