St. John XXIII believed that civil society would collapse if peace within families was not maintained.

St. John XXIII witnessed the atrocities of two World Wars and prayed fervently that society would improve. The outlook at the time didn’t look promising, but he had hope that the world could change if peace within the family was maintained.

He explained in his encyclical Ad Petri Cathedram that peace within family was the key to peace in the world:

For unless peace, unity, and concord are present in domestic society, how can they exist in civil society? This harmonious unity which should exist within the family circle rises from the holiness and indissolubility of Christian marriage. It is the basis of much of the order, progress, and prosperity of civil society.

St. John XXIII pointed to the example of the Holy Family at Nazareth for inspiration, and spoke of how their love spread throughout the world:

However, when the family suffers, the rest of society crumbles, according to St. John XXIII:

We earnestly pray God to prevent any damage to this valuable, beneficial, and necessary union. The Christian family is a sacred institution. If it totters, if the norms which the divine Redeemer laid down for it are rejected or ignored, then the very foundations of the state tremble; civil society stands betrayed and in peril. Everyone suffers.

This view was held by many saints, including St. John Paul II, who did all he could to stress the vital need to preserve the family. If we desire peace and justice in the world, we need to first look at our own families and work for peace and unity in our own home.

Saint John XXIII and Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!

-Fr Peter

The Introduction for Preparation for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) begins Monday, October 16, at 6:30pm in the Parish Center. If you, or someone you know, wish to join the Catholic Church, learn more about your Catholic Faith, and/or receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, or Eucharist for the first time as an adult this program is for you! Registration forms can be found on our website, at the Parish Office, or in the back of church. Contact Kay Mottaz at 651-842-6022 or email her at kmottaz@presentationofmary.org with any questions.

We want to let everyone in the parish know that all ages are warmly invited to join our choir! Weekly rehearsals will be 90 minutes (6:30 - 8pm) and you can invite your friends and neighbors to come join us as well. We pray and sing together as a (growing) family, and like any family we want to include multiple age groups and generations. For now, rehearsals will be on Thursday nights at 6:30. The choir will sing for one weekend Mass (Sunday or Saturday) normally on the 3rd weekend of each month, from September through May, and also for special liturgies including Holy Week and Christmas. Each weekly rehearsal also includes vocal training and techniques. Only requirements to join: be able to read music to some degree of proficiency, carry a tune, match pitch - and truly love to "sing your prayer," from the heart! If you have any questions or ideas, please contact Donna at 408-406-6240 or by email at dstoering@presentationofmary.org.

Join us in praying for those who began our Synod Small Group Leader Training over the past two weeks. It is not to late to join in this process to learn about the benefits of small groups and gain small group leadership skills! Go to presentationofmary.org/synod for more information and to register.

Join us after Mass this Sunday in Kenney Hall for donuts, coffee, and fellowship hosted by our Adoration Ministry! Free will offerings accepted.

The next 55 Club Luncheon of will take place on Tuesday, October 17 at 12:30pm at Blessed Sacrament. The meal will be baked mostaccioli with meat sauce, salad, Italian bread with butter, and cookies for dessert. The entertainment will be Bob Leo, musician. Please remember to bring hats, scarves, and mittens (both adult and children’s sizes) for those in need! The price is $13. Make reservations by calling Teri Garrity at 651- 303-2145.

If you have any questions, or to register for the following event, please contact Molly Noel at 651-842-6010 or mnoel@presentationofmary.org.

CCW Holiday Boutique Registration The 2023 CCW Holiday Boutique will take place on November 4 in the gym. Registration is open now for anyone who would like to set up a booth. If you are interested, fill out a registration form in the parish office, or contact a member of the CCW.

It’s that time of year again! Save the date for our next Fall maintenance day: Saturday, October 28th. As we prepare for a change in seasons, this is a beautiful time for our parish family members, young and old, big and small, to come together to keep our Lord’s house in order. Details to come, but contact Rick Bidwell if you have any thoughts or questions: 651.260.7032 | rickbiddy@comcast.net.

Save the date for our parish Town Hall Potluck on Tuesday, Nov. 14th at 6:00pm in Kenney Hall. Stay tuned for more details in the following weeks!

NOW is a great time to register for Faith Formation! If you have a child in grades K-8, or a child who would like to be confirmed, we are just getting started with our Faith Formation program! We would love to have your family join us in learning more about Jesus & our Faith! Visit the back of Church or our website to register, and contact Molly with any questions at mnoel@presentationofmary.org or by calling the parish office.

Materials for our Parish Stewardship Renewal are being mailed to your homes. Over the next couple of weeks, please pray about your role in our parish. On October 7-8, we will hear from one of our parishioners who will share what stewardship at Presentation of Mary has meant in their life followed by Commitment Card Sunday on October 14-15.

Here at the parish, we have some specific needs that could use immediate attention. If you can help, please do! We are seeking $1,500 for technology updates in parish center. This support will improve administration of our Faith Formation program and help parish meetings run more smoothly and effectively. Contact Fr Peter or the Parish Office for details.

As some of you may have heard already, our Business Administrator, Shelley Graff, made the decision to step down from her role here at Presentation. Her last day was Friday, Sept 29th. Thank you, Shelley, for the last two years of service you gave to us. In the interim, Chad Smurawa, a former Parish Finance Council member and current School Board Member, will be assisting Fr Peter in assessing the needs of the Parish Business Office. Please contact Fr Peter if you have any questions.

The Loaves & Fishes Ministry will be taking collections next weekend, October 21 & 22. All donations can be placed in the canisters at each entrance of the church. Your donation allows us to purchase the food which we prepare and serve monthly at Dorothy Day. In October, we served 340 meals to those in need. Thank you to all who support this ministry!

Thank you to everyone who supported & who participated in the Panther Classic. Each one of you made it a great success!

Cheer on our Panthers! The Soccer & Volleyball schedules can be found on the CAA Website: https://stpaulcaa.org/.

Save the date for Saturday, October 28th from 6pm9pm for our family-friendly Halloween party in the School Gym! Admission is $7/child, adults are free of charge. Concessions will be available for purchase and include hot food, snacks, and glow-in-the-dark items. There will be activities for all ages: games for younger and older kids, dance music later in the evening, a costume contest (child and family categories), & a haunted house put on by our middle school students!! If you are interested in volunteering at the party, check out the available opportunities below.

We are hiring a middle school math teacher starting in early November. Anyone interested can reach out to Sue Lovegreen at slovegreen@presentationofmary.org. Also, anyone interested in being a reading buddy or math tutor for students at the school can contact Sue or the school office at 651-777-5877.

Catch up on important school news and announcements in the latest issue of the Panther Post Newsletter here.

Do you know someone in need of prayers? Contact Kay at the Parish Office at 651-842-6022 so they can be added to our Prayer Line.

You can also contact her if you are interested in joining the Prayer Line!

Protection of Youth: All employees, and volunteers who interact with minors, are required to complete and maintain safe environment credentials (E3) through the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. To ensure successful completion of these requirements or if you have any questions regarding our safe environment practices or would like more information on what is needed to volunteer, please contact our Safe Environment Coordinator: Kay Mottaz @ 651-842-6022 or email kmottaz@presentationofmary.org.

To learn more about reporting suspected abuse, please also visit: www.safe-environment.archspm.org/report-abuse/Report.