Dear Brothers and Sisters of St. Andrew the Apostle,
There is a lot to talk about! First, let me begin by reminding you to turn back your clocks Saturday night. While we should always arrive early for Mass so we can put ourselves in the presence of God and pray, you probably don't want to come in an hour early, which is what would happen if you miss Daylight Savings Time. So please set your clocks back and treasure the extra hour of sleep!
In November the Church remembers those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. Sunday, November 1, is All Saints Day. This is a Holy Day of Obligation, but since it lands on a Sunday this year, it supplants that Sunday's Mass. Therefore, instead of celebrating the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, we will be celebrating All Saints Day at the Saturday Vigil and the Sunday Masses. All Saints Day is a day that we remember and honor the Church Triumphant, those who have gone before us and live in God's glory in heaven. We rejoice with them in God's glory, seek to imitate their heroic examples of faith, and ask for their prayers that we may live in such a way as to join them with the Holy Trinity in heaven for all of eternity.
On Monday, November 2, we pray for the souls in Purgatory on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, more commonly known as All Souls Day. On this day we pray for the Church Suffering, those who have been promised eternal life but are still in need of purification from their sins. While it is difficult to think of our loved ones (or ourselves) suffering after death, we recognize that each of us in justice has temporal punishment to be paid for our sins in this life, and disordered attachments to the world and the flesh that prevent us from loving God and others perfectly. In order to love as God loves, we must be purified, even when we die in a state of grace, and we are grateful that the Lord allows us the opportunity to do so in Purgatory. On All Souls Day, let us pray for those who have gone before us and await our prayers to help them along, especially our deceased family and friends. On November 2, we will have a special 7:00 PM Mass for the intentions of those souls we have prayed for at St. Andrew in the past year, as well as those intentions of the All Souls' Novena.
I end this newsletter with the first announcement that beginning on the First Sunday of Advent - November 29, 2020 - the 8:45 AM Mass will be moved to 9:00 AM for every day of the week. From what I understand, the unusual time for this Mass was to accommodate the schedule of the middle school across the street so that there was not a buildup of traffic with parishioners coming to Mass at the same time as parents dropping off their students. By moving the Mass fifteen minutes later, we allow more time for the choir to prepare for the 9:00 AM Mass on Sundays, and allow our parish school teachers a longer first period on the days when we have our weekly school Mass.
This is the first announcement of many concerning this change beginning November 29th. While there are distinct advantages to this change in schedule, I must assume that some will be inconvenienced by the move from 8:45 AM to 9:00 PM, and I truly apologize for that.
May the Lord bless all of you. Be assured of my prayers and in your kindness please pray for Fr. Bresnahan and me.
In Christ,
Fr. Wagner
