Many Things to Pray About

As we begin the month of November with the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, we recall the Church's tradition of praying throughout this month for all off our beloved deceased and for "all whose faith is known to God alone." Please read the article this week about Masses of Remem­brance coming up very soon in each of parishes.

Around this time of year I like to re-introduce and thank the members of our two Parish Finance Councils (PFCs) who, in addition to our Business Manager, Bill Nash, provide the busi­ness and financial acumen you deserve in overseeing the sepa­rate finances of each parish. Since each parish maintains its own properties, debts and assets, each parish continues to have its own Parish Finance Council comprised of members of the parish they serve.

The members of St. Martha PFC are: Ron Garron (chair), Tom Hines, Kathy Parker, and Tom Pearl. The members of the St. Mary PFC are: Janet Frye (chair), Fran Ahern, Chris Defrank, Josh Person, and Pat Zeller. Thank you to eve­ry one of them for sharing their knowledge and business in­sights in service of their parish and our collaborative.

Like the Collaborative Pastoral Council (CPC) which advises us on the pastoral needs of our parishes, each Parish Finance Council shares in leadership of their parish as a standing Council with consultative voice. They have a right to all the financial information necessary to provide meaningful advice, which I must listen to with an open mind.  Because significant expenses are shared by both parishes, each PFC is kept aware of the financial status of both parishes, and they generally pre­fer to hold their meetings together. I'm especially grateful for the PFC member speaking at each of the Masses this weekend to provide you a parishioner's viewpoint on the practical finan­cial status of each parish. Please pray for all of our Council members.

In closing, I offer a few words as this major election day final­ly approaches. Most people have already made their deci­sions, and many have already voted. However, it seems there are more undecided voters than usual this cycle, especially with regard to our national leaders. Perhaps that is not a bad thing if it is because we are taking time to study and learn about the candidates, issues, and what is most important about each. As Pope Francis and the US Bishops advise us, we need well informed consciences to make wise and moral decisions as we exercise our sacred duty as citizens. And as Fr. Bill wrote here several weeks ago, not deciding is to decide. May we all seek God's guidance as we do our best to make wise and faith-filled decisions. The day after the elections, we will pray at Mass for our Nation, our Commonwealth, and those who are elected to serve. Whether they are our preferred choice or not, they will need our prayers to help guide them in their immense responsibilities.