I'm excited to remind you that we have some great events coming in these last weeks of October. First, this weekend I will be continuing our series on the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. We will be discussing Church's "Call to Family, Community, and Participation." The talk begins at 2:00 PM in Hannan Hall. All are invited!

Next Saturday, October 23, we will have a guest speaker in Hannan Hall after the 5:30 PM Vigil Mass. Craig Turner will present, "Fatima and the Fall of Communism." There will be a pizza dinner provided. Please RSVP here.

The next day - Sunday, October 24 - we will have our parish Holy Hour at 3:00 PM including Adoration, a Rosary, and a spiritual reflection. What a blessing it is to gather together in prayer before our Blessed Sacrament. If Adoration is currently not a devotion you practice, I invite you to join us in prayer on this day to share in the power and beauty of prayer before our Lord in the Eucharist.

The St. Andrew's School PTO is hosting a "Halloween Trunk or Treat" party in the parking lot on the evening of Friday, October 29. All are invited. Prizes will go to the best costume as well as the best-decorated car. Set up begins at 4PM. Bring your children and candy to distribute. See the link for more details!

Finally, the Diocesan Pilgrimage will take place on Saturday, October 30th at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I encourage all to join Bishop Burbidge, priests from the Diocese (included Fr. Smith and me), and hundreds of families from throughout the Diocese. Please read the website with regards to the schedule and details about lunch (it is recommended to bring your own). There are opportunities for Confession with priests from throughout the Diocese, and it concludes with a Mass with Bishop Burbidge at 1:30 PM. It promises to be a blessed day at a beautiful church. Come join us!

It is good to be back to a more regular schedule of events. I hope that you can join us as we grow in faith and get to know each other again after our long time of isolation!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Ravens needed to score four straight touchdowns (including two 2-point conversions) in order to beat the Indianapolis Colts in overtime on Monday Night Football. This continues a string of nail-biting victories for the Ravens. They could easily be 1-4 instead of 4-1, so while they might not be the best team in the NFL, they are easily the most exciting to watch. I'll take their last-second victories as long as they keep coming! This Sunday they play a very good Los Angeles Chargers team, so they'll have a worthy foe. I will be giving the talk on social doctrine at the same time as the game, which was poor planning on my part! It doesn't matter, though: I really only have to watch the end of the game anyway since that's the only time the Ravens score...

Once again, be assured of my prayers for you. It's truly an honor to be your pastor. Let us all pray for each other and for our parish, that we continue to be sanctified by God's grace and give witness to Jesus Christ.