What an exciting time of year it is! As we end the month of October and enter into November, I can’t help but think of the many blessings we have had in the last couple of months and the exciting that are to come. As you may recall, October is our traditional month of stewardship, a reminder to take time to reflect on how our Good Lord has blessed us in our lives and how we have been called to participate in His blessings by being good stewards of those gifts.

Many of the ways in which I have seen this happen here at Presentation of Mary time and time again has been through the great generosity of all of you. The love you have for Jesus and spending that time with him in prayer and the reception of the sacraments. And you aren’t doing it just for yourselves, but in the way you have called on others to do the same by inviting family and friends to join you in it.

Other ways you have shown great stewardship is through the giving of your time and talents. We have parish catechists teaching our young ones of the love of Jesus and the plans he has for them; to the many ministers (volunteers) who led our Fall Festival and Panther Pride Golf Classic efforts so that our members and friends could come together to celebrate life and support our families; to those who continue to minister to our homebound and shut-in members; and there’s so much more that you do for our parish and greater community that I could go on and on… what beautiful gift.

And for the generosity of your “treasure” to the parish, which helps us to continue to keep our church and ministries going to serve our members, but also, the greater community. One thing I do want to share with everyone is a wonderful gift we received from two families in our parish when I made an ask in the bulletin to put updated technology in the Parish Center to help us have more effective meetings (ministries and business) and to better engage our families in the Faith Formation program. Stop by the parish sometime to see these gifts that have already been put to good use!

How blessed we are, especially as we enter into the month of November in which we will remember, honor, and pray for our beloved dead. Being good stewards is a reminder to make sure we don’t forget where we are all ultimately going, where we have been invited to be for all eternity… heaven. May all we continue to do, be for the sake of our souls, the souls of our loved ones and those we are yet to meet, and those who are already on the way to the Kingdom.

Please save the date and plan to attend our parish Town Hall Potluck on Tuesday, November 14th at 6pm in Kenney Hall. At this Town Hall, you’ll hear about what’s happened this past year, what’s going on now, and what exciting things are to come. I would love to see you all there and bring your children as well. This night is meant for everyone.

Thank you all for keeping your eyes on Jesus and for helping each other to do the same.

Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!

-Fr Peter

The Introduction for Preparation for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) has just begun! It is certainly not to late to join in 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! Find registration forms on our website, at the Parish Office, or in the back of church. With questions, feel free to contact Kay Mottaz at kmottaz@presentationofmary.org or at 651-842-6022.

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 are taking part in our Synod Small Group Leader Training over the past two weeks.

The 2023 CCW Holiday Boutique will take place on November 4 in the gym from 9am—2pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts for your loved ones. Registration will close on November 1 for vendors 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. For more information, see the parish website.

Presentation Men’s Club invites you to participate in this year’s Mini-Cad Raffle & Social! Raffle tickets are $50 dollars each, and there are only 100 tickets sold, so you have an excellent chance of going home with the grand prize of $1000! The drawing will take place on November 11th at 7:00 pm in Kenney Hall, with the social beginning after the 5:00 Mass. The social will have buffet style appetizers for $10 per person, as well as Bingo. Winners are not required to be present, and those attending the social are not required to have purchased raffle tickets. This event is a great opportunity to spend some time with our parish family, while supporting the Church and School!

Save the date for our parish Town Hall Potluck on Tuesday, Nov. 14th at 6:00pm in Kenney Hall. Learn more & let us know what you're bringing below!

Mark your calendars for Turkey Bingo on Saturday, November 18! More information to come in the following weeks.

Our next NextLevel event will be serving at Feed my Starving Children on November 28. Keep an eye out for more information as we get closer to that date!

Wednesday, November 1st is All Saints’ Day & a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be at 8:45am & 6:30pm. Thursday, November 2nd is All Souls’ Day & is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses that day will be at 8:00am & 6:30pm.

Every Third Saturday Drive for Veterans

We will soon be collecting items for Veterans with Every Third Saturday, a veteran support organization in the area. We will have a box in the Kennard St entrance to collect needed items for their ministry from November 5th-19th. See the posters on the bulletin boards for their most needed items.

On Saturday, December 2, from 8:00am-1:00pm in Kenney Hall, Presentation of Mary and the American Red Cross are hosting a blood drive. Please join our mission and schedule an appointment today at www.redcrossblood.org or all Barb Swanson at 651-395 -0453. Appointments only. No walk-ins.

Join us TONIGHT, October 28th from 6pm-9pm 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.

All are invited to attend our Mass of Gratitude on Friday, November 17th at 8:45am. Join us in celebration of the Mass as we give thanks for all those that support Presentation of Mary School.

Great Scott! The 2024 Presentation of Mary Catholic School Gala is coming back to Presentation on Saturday, April 13, 2024! We need you to take action now, so you don’t get left behind! 

April may feel a long way off, but the planning and preparations for our Panther Pride Gala are well underway already! Please make sure you've read all of the information on the Gala web page to understand all the ways you can Raise Your Hand to ensure the success of our biggest fundraiser! Donate a theme basket, wine, beer, or spirits, become a sponsor, get a Gala t-shirt, or even join the planning committee! If you have any questions, contact the school office at 651-777-5877.

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.