From Saints to Shepherds: November’s Call to Remembrance and Gratitude

“Bishops, as successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord, to whom was given all power in heaven and on earth, the mission to teach all nations and to preach the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain to salvation by faith, baptism and the fulfilment of the commandments.” – Lumen Gentium, para. 24

November is a month of remembrance, a month of saints, a month of souls, and a month of thanksgiving. 

As Catholics, November is also a month of bishops. Within the liturgical calendar we celebrate a feast day of seven episcopal saints including St. Charles Borromeo (Nov. 3), St. Leo the Great (Nov. 10), St. Martin of Tours (Nov. 11), St. Josaphat (Nov. 12), St. Albert the Great (Nov. 15), St. Clement I (Nov. 23), and St. Andrew (Nov. 30). From the apostolic age of Andrew to our present-day Holy Father Francis, one of the deepest and clearest signs of our Catholic faith is that of our unity with those who possess apostolic authority.

As Father David preached on last weekend, the days following an election can be a great opportunity to evaluate both our American citizenship and our Kingdom citizenship. We ought to ask ourselves both if we are living under the New Testament edict that “Jesus is Lord” and how we might lead others to make this proclamation with their lives. Father David pointed out in his homily the numerous times we call Jesus “Lord” at the Mass, including 17 times from the beginning of the recitation of the Nicene Creed to the conclusion of the prayers of the faithful!

Next weekend we will welcome our local shepherd Bishop James Powers to be the celebrant of the 10:30 AM Mass as we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and also honor our 150 years as Saint Patrick Parish. Uniquely, our Bishop shares a special connection to our history as his first and middle names are the two names of our parish: James (we were Saint James Parish from 1856 to 1874) and Patrick.

We hope that you will join us for the Mass and downstairs in our Social Hall after Mass for “Bagels with Bishop Powers” as the Parish’s Council of Catholic women provides bagels and other refreshments. 

Our Gospel reading from Mark, chapter 13 this weekend reminds us that there will be times of tribulation, darkness, and the powers in the heavens being shaken. As we encounter the actual darkness of this time of year and whatever darkness lingers in our lives, perhaps this week is a good week to pray the prayer that Bishop Powers claimed as his own motto upon becoming our Bishop in 2016.

Deduc Me, Domine, Luce Tua, which translated to English is “Lead me, Lord, by your light.”

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