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From September 25th through November 3rd, you are invited to join other Christians who will be participating in “40 Days for Life.” This will be 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion. Parishioners from Our Lady of Fatima are being asked to pray outside of Planned Parenthood for some period of time between 7 AM and 7 PM on October 22, 2019.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Our Lady of Fatima Miracle of the Sun Festivities so special. Special Thanks to The Cooperage for providing the main dish, to everyone who brought a delicious dish to share for the Pot Luck, to our Ministries for enriching our Parish Life, and thank you to the countless other Parish volunteers who are always there when we need them!

Our holiday drive for frozen turkeys, non-perishable food items and monetary donations has begun. Donations can be dropped off in the Parish Office, or your monetary donation can be dropped in the collection basket, however, please clearly mark that it is designated for our Thanksgiving drive. The non-perishable food will be used to re-stock our St. Vincent de Paul Pantry. THANK YOU for your donations and support!

Join us for a Spooktacular time on Friday, October 25, 2019 from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM in Fatima-Gallagher Hall. There will be food and many fun games. Tokens for food and games may be purchased at the Carnival. The drawing for the school raffle will take place at the end of the evening. You need not be present to win. Please come and help support our school!

Friday, November 1st is All Saints' Day. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass will be offered at 6:30 AM, 8:15 AM (Our Lady of Fatima School Mass) and 6:30 PM. Saturday, November 2nd, is the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day). It is not a Holy Day of Obligation, but it would very appropriate to attend Mass and pray for the souls of the faithful departed. Masses will be offered at 6:30 AM, 8:15 AM, and 6:30 PM. A special envelope for All Souls' Day has been included in your offertory envelope packets on which you can list the names of deceased persons that you would like to have remembered at Mass on All Souls' Day and make an offering.

In our Second Reading today (2 Timothy 2:8-13) Saint Paul declares that “The word of God is not chained.” This message is written from prison, as Paul’s preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has landed him in jail and in chains. After his own conversion, Paul was willing to pay any price to bring the message of redemption to the ends of the earth. He suffered beatings, banishment, chains and imprisonment as a consequence of proclaiming the Gospel. The most prolific writer of the New Testament and the most travelled of any Apostle, Saint Paul literally went to the four corners of the known world of his day, to preach that there was a new and powerful way in which people were being called to live out their lives.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 15, 16 and 17 there will not be daily Masses due to the annual Priest Convocation. A Communion Service will be held each of those mornings at 6:30 AM. The regular Mass schedule will resume on Friday, October 18.

Join us for a rosary that will be prayed in the church at 4:00 PM Monday through Friday during the month of October.

At the 12:00 noon Parish Fiesta Mass this coming Sunday, October 13th, a member of Our Lady of Fatima Parish will be presented with the Archbishop’s St. Francis of Assisi Award for outstanding service in our parish. Each year, the Pastors of the Archdiocese nominate a person or couple from their parish to receive this award, and this year, I am pleased to announce that I have selected Mr. Joe Vigil for this honor.

Thank you to all of our generous 4th Annual Our Lady of Fatima School Golf Tournament Sponsors!! Jack Ollason Family Dentistry, Alexander Giomi Hughes– OLF Class of ‘98, Therese Padilla, Catholic Mutual, Melloy Nissan, Fr. John Daniel. And thank you to all of our Hole Sponsors, Raffle Donors, Golfers and Volunteers!

The month of October is recognized as a month of special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, with particular emphasis on the praying of the Rosary. The Catholic Church looks upon the Blessed Virgin Mary as not only the Mother of God, but also as the Mother of the Church. She is a model of faith, a sign of hope, and holds a special place in the Communion of Saints. God honored Mary above all human persons by inviting her to be the mother of His Son.

It is always interesting to reflect on the kind of people Jesus hung around with in the Gospels. More often than not, Jesus is found associating with and even dining with what the scribes and Pharisees considered to be socially unacceptable people – public sinners and outcasts. In fact, Jesus usually avoided the “acceptable people” for they had no real use for his message, and clearly resented his influence and ability to connect with the poor, the sinner, and the outcast. Over and over again, it is the “socially acceptable” people who question Jesus’ authority to speak on behalf of God, and even accuse him of being an accomplice of Satan when he healed the sick and forgave sinners. It becomes evident that they are the true “outcasts” for they are on the outside looking in – observing the good that Jesus is doing, but distancing themselves from him.

Join us for Our Lady of Fatima Parish Miracle of the Sun Festivities! A Novena for Our Lady of Fatima will be prayed daily beginning on Friday, October 4 at 4:00 PM in the church. The Novena will end on Saturday, October 12. On October 13 there will be Mass at 12:00 PM followed by a potluck lunch & entertainment. We look forward to seeing you here!

Today’s Gospel passage (Luke 15:1-32) contains three related parables. They are the parable of the shepherd going after the lost sheep, a woman searching diligently for a lost coin, and the familiar parable of the prodigal son which is unique to the Gospel of Luke. The common thread running through each of them is obvious. All three stories are about being lost and getting found.

The coming days are rich with feast days of the Church. On Monday, September 9 th we observe the feast day of St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest from Spain who provided ministry for the Black slaves who had been brought from Africa to Colombia in the 16th century. He attended to their physical and spiritual needs which were many, considering the harsh conditions in which they found themselves. On Thursday the 12th is the Feast of The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Mary” was a popular name among the Hebrew people, in memory of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. Some scholars think that this name is perhaps related to an Egyptian word meaning “beloved,” which certainly fits Mary of Nazareth. She was so beloved by God that God chose her to be the Mother of Jesus, and for this purpose God preserved her from the stain of sin from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, St. Ann (Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception). No sin would distort or destroy her relationship with God. We honor Mary’s name and the holiness that it represents, and we call upon her intercession in our times of need.

Archbishop John C. Wester has issued the following letter declaring a time of hope and healing throughout the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

In the Christian tradition, light is a symbol of faith, truth, wisdom, virtue, grace, the divine life, charity, the ardor of prayer and the sacred presence which flow from Christ Himself. With this background, we can appreciate the usage of votive candles. At Our Lady of Fatima Church, we have votive candles located on the two side altars, one which honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the other which honors the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As we continually strive toward healing in the Church, the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe will offer a “Healing From Abuse” Mass for all who have been affected by all types of physical and mental abuse. The Church is the Body of Christ, therefore, the wounds of one are the wounds of all. Together, we may begin and continue the healing. These Masses will be scheduled in Parishes for September 14th or 15th. At Our Lady of Fatima Parish, our “Healing From Abuse” Mass will be at 5:30 PM on Saturday, September 14, 2019.

It is said that when you think you have the virtue of humility it is a sure sign that you do not have it. Today’s readings center around this virtue, which is essential to the life of a Christian if we are to reach our goal of Heaven.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 13:22-30), Jesus is asked if many people will be saved. He warns that a place in the Kingdom of God is not a birthright reserved to the Jewish people, nor is it a given exclusively to those who hear him preach. Jesus tells the people, “strive to enter through the narrow gate,” adding that many will not be strong enough. He then adds insult to injury by telling them that outsiders from other nations will enter the Kingdom of God before them.