This past week we gathered with family and friends to give thanks to our God for the wonders He has done for us. For some of us, counting our blessings is as natural as breathing. For others of us, it is hard to see the hand of God at work in our lives. For the rest of us, we are somewhere in between.

As a Church, giving thanks is the core of our life together. We gather on the Lord’s Day to thank God for the great gift of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We gather on the Lord’s Day to thank God for the Love He has bestowed upon us through the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We gather on the Lord’s Day to thank God for the gift of His Son who promised to remain with us and so He gives us His very Body and Blood. We gather on the Lord’s Day to thank our God for His great love for us.

Lord God (YOU), who sent Your Son to show us the depth of Your love(WHO), fill our hearts with gratitude for your many and wonderous blessings (DO), through Christ our Lord. (THROUGH).

Thank you to all who helped support Thanksgiving meals for local families in need. We raised over $7500 in our parish during the month of November. Your generosity and support for our parish’s outreach makes it possible for others to celebrate with family and friends.

The News and Updates from Saint Pius Church for this week:

Welcome Mike Posgate, our seminarian! This weekend we are thrilled to have our vocation from SPX with us at many of the Masses. Mike, who was recently featured in the Catholic Mirror, is studying at Loras College in Dubuque as a seminarian for the Diocese of Des Moines. We are thrilled that he will be serving at some of our Masses–and if you were at the Thursday Thanksgiving Mass, you’ve already seen him. Please keep him and all the seminarians for the Diocese in your prayers.

The Pastoral Council met last week: the Pastoral Council meets monthly to look at our goals and plans. We discussed how members of the Council can lead the small group movement that we desire to make our large parish feel more intimate. First, the Council is working to narrow the definition of small group. So far, we know that it is a group comprised of between 4 and 12 people who purpose is to spiritually accompany each member so that they are noticed, called by name and known by the other members of the group and Christ. We are looking to some training in leading groups to make this a reality.

The Parish School’s Leadership Council also met recently: The Leadership Council functions under the guidance of the Pastoral Council to foster our mission within the school ministry. The Leadership Council is taking the lead on planning the Saint Pius X annual gala and auction the first Saturday of February. This major fundraiser supports multiple ministries of the parish, including the school but not exclusively.

The Finance Council will be meeting this coming week.

Thank you for your support of Christians in the Holy Land with your purchases of the Olive Wood products. Please keep praying for our brothers and sisters who daily live in terror because of their faith in Jesus Christ. If you missed the sale, our friends Imad and Sophia will return to the area at Saint Francis on THIS WEEKEND.

It’s time to start thinking about Advent.

• Additional Masses: during Advent we will be offering Masses during the week at 8:15 AM as normal, and we will add a 6:15 PM Mass on Tuesday and Wednesday during Advent as well as a 12:30 PM Mass on Friday, December 15 and 22 (Friday, December 8 is a holy day with it’s own schedule). We will need lectors and sacristans to sign up for the additional Masses.
• Additional opportunities for Reconciliation: during Advent we will be offering Confessions on Friday morning at 9:00 AM and on Saturday morning at 8:30 AM. Additionally, we will have a communal service on Sunday, December 10 at 4:00 PM as well as individual confessions on Monday, December 18 at 6:00 PM.
• We are going to be preparing the new road for Christ’s coming: Each week with the Scriptures to guide us, we are going to be engaging in some spiritual road construction within our community.

Getting All Set for Sunday

You can find the readings for this Sunday here.

Who is the king of your life? Take a few moments to write down everything you have done in the past twenty-four hours, noting how much time you spent on each activity. Does this snapshot of your life show you and others who your king is? What concrete things can you do to demonstrate to others that Jesus is the King of your life?

There is a meme going around that says something to the effect the definition of “busy” is “burdened under Satan’s yoke.” When we are too busy for prayer, for Mass, for service of neighbor, for helping a stranger in need, we are yoked with Satan rather than with Christ. Our calendars might be full, but when we are under the yoke of Jesus, we are not burdened nor are we busy–rather we see with joy the blessings He has given us.

November 24, 2023