St. Boniface Catholic
by Sue Beams

The first week of November is rich in tradition within the Catholic Church. On November 1, members of the St. Boniface community gathered to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints Day. Fr. Jesse urged those in attendance to look to their own `litany of saints' and draw on their strength.

On November 2, First Friday, members of St. Boniface also commemorated the Feast of All Souls. On this day, we collectively pray for those faithful departed. Fr. Jesse reminded us that while as human beings it is natural to feel sadness at the loss of our loved ones, we should nonetheless rejoice that they are experiencing what every Christian hopes for: eternal life with our Heavenly Father!

On Saturday, November 3, Iris Mamo and Sue Beams attended the second installment of the Faith Formation seminar "To Lead as Jesus Did" at the Cathedral. This was a wonderful day filled with learning, sharing and prayer. Sue and Iris will be happy to share many of the ideas and suggestions they learned at the seminar; just ask!!

On the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, members of St. Boniface heard in the Gospel the story of Zacchaeus. As the story goes, Zacchaeus was branded as a sinner by his fellow Jews.

Can you imagine his surprise when Jesus invited himself to his house? The single most important point that Luke makes in his gospel account, is that Jesus looks beyond the exterior of man and into his heart. Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus into his home and, flowing from his grateful heart, he gave one half of his bounty!

God the Father knows our joys and rejoices with us. He knows our weaknesses and uses them to draw us to Himself. He always stands at the door of our hearts waiting for us to let Him in! Oftentimes, the more pain we are experiencing the more open to Jesus we are. Our fervent prayer as we do indeed invite Him into our hearts should be the request to fill us with His grace and love!

This weekend (Nov. 8, 9 and 10) St. Boniface will hold a garage sale on the church property. Please come and shop our bargains!

On Sunday, November 11, there will be much activity at St. Boniface. Following the Mass, there will be a meeting for parents and interested adults in the community room where the "Safe Environment Program" will be presented. Fr. Jesse plans to provide Ethics and Integrity (ACS) training, for certification for those who volunteer at St. Boniface. See the bulletin for all the details.

That same afternoon, at 4pm, members will come together for our annual Thanksgiving dinner, sponsored by the Altar Society. Turkeys are provided and those planning on attending are asked to bring a side dish to share with at least 10 other people (plus your family!). There is always a need for help with the set-up and clean-up, so let us know if you can help.

The Altar Society will meet on Monday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the community room. Dalia Earl will be the facilitator and refreshments will be provided. We invite all the ladies of St. Boniface to join us in prayer, fun, food and fellowship!

Congratulations and best wishes to all celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. We continue to pray for those who are sick and suffering. Remember the souls of the faithful departed. We pray, too, in gratitude for the brave men and women in the armed services who continue, at great personal sacrifice, to defend and protect our freedoms.