At the 9:00 Mass this weekend we welcome a group of adults who are preparing to become Catholics at Easter. Some are already baptized Christians and will now be known as candidates. Others are not yet baptized, and will be called catechumens. They meet on Tuesday evenings to pray together, to learn more about the faith, and to share that faith with others. We have recently received new ritual prayers for those on the journey, and the title RCIA has been changed to OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.
We are taking a collection this weekend to help with the Hurricane victims in Florida. We will have baskets in the back of the church. Checks can be made to “St. Charles” with the word “hurricane” in the memo line. Funds will be distributed through Catholic Charities in Florida.
Our local St. Vincent de Paul Society is also helping with a collection for victims of Hurricane Helene. If you would like to make a donation through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, write a check to “St. Vincent de Paul Society,” mark “Hurricane Relief” in the memo line and send it to St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, 1600 S. Calhoun, Fort Wayne, IN 46802.
Fr. Bobby will be leaving Monday with some priest friends for a week-long vacation in Florida. As I write this column, he doesn’t know if the vacation spot is still standing after the hurricanes. If they don’t end up in Florida, I’m sure they will find some other good spot to get away.
Over the next ten days, Fr. James and I are covering a lot of Masses in Churubusco and Ege, covering for a pastor there also on vacation.
Please mark your calendar for Monday evening, October 28. We have been invited to Trinity English Lutheran church for a tour of their historic building and a talk from their pastor about the history of their congregation and also a bit about the agreements and disagreements between Catholics and Evangelical Lutherans. It should be a fascinating evening. We will meet downtown at 7 p.m., or gather in the St. Charles parking lot to carpool at 6:30.
I also point to the All Soul’s Mass which we will celebrate on Saturday, November 2 at 8:15 a.m. In a darkened church we will light candles and read the names of loved ones who have died in the past year. We have the list of those who had St. Charles funerals. If you have a loved one whose funeral was not here and you plan to attend this Mass, please call the parish office. We will include those names in our list.
