What Should We Tell the Children

There is no doubt that this election was a surprise for our nation and was one of the ugliest and longest campaigns in my memory. Many are reeling from the results and are worried about what will happen under a Trump presidency.

As people of faith, we must do exactly that, keep the faith. We must remember that God loves us and provides for each and every one of us, no matter who our president is. We also must remember to pray for those in leadership roles, if we support them, but even if we don't particularly care for them or their opinions, positions or policies.

"Say that silence is dangerous, and teach them how to speak up when something is wrong."

At GIFT last night, one of the moms approached me after the gathering and asked why we hadn't addressed the election. She then shared that her two girls were full of the news because of protracted discussions that they had had at school (a Spanish immersion school, where a majority of the students come from immigrant families). There is a lot of fear and apprehension in our world as evidenced by the protests last night in a number of cities both on the east and west coasts.

That same mom shared the following article with me that I wanted to pass along. I think that if your sons/daughters are nervous about these election results or feeling unsettled in anyway, there are some good reminders.

"Tell them bigotry is not a democratic value, and that it will not be tolerated at your school."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-should-we-tell-the-children_us_5822aa90e4b0334571e0a30b

Holy Day of Obligation - All Saints Day

Today is a Holy Day of Obligation - it's the Solemnity of All Saints. Today, we celebrate all saints - those who have died and reached heaven, including our relatives and the capital "S" saints - like Francis, Patrick, Mark, Luke, John and Saint Mother Teresa. But, we also celebrate the hope of our own sainthood - as we are all called to be saints. http://www.catholic.org/saints/allsaints/

To celebrate, we'll have Mass today at 7:00 pm at St. Matthias.

We also have a table of the dead (la ofrenda) set up in the back of the Church and invite you to bring photos of your loved ones in remembrance of them. The table will remain in the Church for the entire month of November.

You also should have received an envelope in the mail with spaces for names. If you'd like special people to be remembered during the masses this month, write their names on the envelope and return it to the office (by mail, in the collection or drop it off). You may include a donation, however, it's not necessary.

Also, at Masses this weekend, Nov 5th and 6th, names of all those who have died over the past year will be called and there is an invitation for you to light a candle for them. These candles will be lit at all the Masses during the entire month of November. If you would like a name included, please email Liz liz@stmatthiasparish.org to make sure the name gets listed. 

Hope to see you tonight at Mass!