During this month we remember all of our dearly Departed. The Holy Father has extended the opportunity to obtain a Plenary Indulgence for the Faithful Departed during the entire month of November. The usual conditions are in place to obtain the indulgence.
Please remember the continued need for your sacrificial offerings to keep the Basilica financially secure. We still also owe $36,571.00 for this year’s ADA. ADA envelopes are available by the doors. Please avail yourselves of the locked boxes in the Basilica and the designated plates for your normal contributions since we still cannot take up a collection in the normal way. We are still behind on sacrificial giving versus our budget needs. We also owe our Foundation $13,500.00. I thank all those who have been continuing to send in their offerings through the mail and online. We must strive to work harder to keep up with the financial side of things as our deficit grows. Bills and salaries still need to be paid, as well as our other obligations. Please keep the parish’s financial needs in mind.
My thanks to all of you who have been purchasing our raffle tickets. This is a major fundraiser for us. The drawing will take place on the First Sunday of Advent. Make sure your tickets are in by November 29th.
Please see the clarification from the Apostolic Nuncio regarding certain comments attributed to the Holy Father regarding Civil Unions. As usual, the press took his remarks out of context.
Please be cautious and stay well. The parish staff and volunteers are doing all that is possible in the way of sanitizing. Take seriously the restrictions that have been placed upon us for our good and the good of others, such as frequently washing hands, using hand sanitizer, using masks and social distancing, and STAYING HOME IF YOU FEEL ILL IN ANY WAY OR MIGHT BE MORE VULNERABLE. Let us continue to pray for the day when we will be able to once again gather normally around the altar of the Lord and return to normal parish life. With the approval of the Parish Council, the Finance Council, the Building and Grounds Committee and the Art and Architecture Committee, and having researched the requirements for the historical character of the Basilica, we have begun to place a covering under the pews to cover the badly worn floor. Years of wear and salt from the winters has caused significant deterioration in places on the floor under the pews. This is all in the realm of normal repair to keep the Basilica in good condition. The work should be completed by the end of the month.
Let us go forward, trusting Divine Providence in all things.