OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PARISH

235 North Front St. New Bedford, MA 02746

MASSES for October 31st -November 8th

Saturday, October 31st-All Saints Day

4:00 PM +Edward Piszcz

Req. Bernice Fastoso

Sunday, November ist-AII Saints Day

10:00 AM +Leah Sawyer

Req. George Schemm

Monday, November 2nd-All Souls Day

7:30 AM All Souls Novena Mass #1

Tuesday, November 3rd-Weekday

7:30 AM All Souls Novena Mass #2

Wednesday, November 4th

-St. Charles Borromeo

7:30 AM All Souls Novena Mass #3

Thursday, November 5th-Weekday

7:30 AM All Souls Novena Mass #4

Friday, November 6th-Weekday

7:30 AM All Souls Novena Mass #5

Saturday, November 7th-Weekday

7:30 AM All Souls Novena Mass #6

Saturday, November 7th

--32nd Sunday Ordinary Time

4:00 PM All Souls Novena Mass #7

Sunday, November 8th

-32nd Sunday Ordinary Time

4:00 PM All Souls Novena Mass #8

ALL SOULS NOVENA OF MASSES

We commend to the eternal loving Care of our Heavenly Father these souls of our parishioners, loved ones, and friends:

John Szymanski Alfred Zawisza, Ryszard Stasiak, Krystyne Pabis, Leocadia Motyl, Edwina Romanowicz, Ronald Romanowicz, Isaura Calado Serode

Helen Dabrowski Patrick Finn, Thomas Schemm, Alice Nazarchylk, Stefanie Pilat, Patricia Couto, Therese Trepanier,

who passed from this life to eternal life during the past year.

Also:

Mitchel Wojtkunski Frederick Wojtkunski Stella Wybraniec John Wybraniec Wybraniec Family Helen Skowron Steven Pelletier Charles & Julia Salach William & Marya Salach Joseph Packer

Phyllis Wojtkunski Stanley Wybraniec Josephine Wybraniec William Cowell Steven Pelletier Cowell Family William Cowell Dominik & Mary Kirmil Catherine Langan Lawrence Richardson

As additional names are submitted this weekend, those souls will, of course, also be included in our Parish's All Souls Novena of Masses. The new names will appear in next weekend's bulletin.

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

l,John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, "Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,

and from the Lamb."

All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God; and exclaimed:

"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

; Psalm 24

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. The LoRD's are the earth and its fullness;

the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers. R. Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD7

Or who may stand in his holy place? One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,

who desires not what is vain. R. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,

a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks him,

that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. R.

I John 3:1-3

Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

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il ng teouBsness call led hehu~a1

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~ .o merciful ., ;

Matthew 5: 1- I 2a

WHEN JESUS SAW THE CROWDS, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of

righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely

because of me. Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven."

Brothers and Sisters of Our Parish Family,

Heaven is heavily populated by non-canonized men

and women, boys and girls-saints all-enjoying the

Beatific Vision. Today, the Church celebrates them

with a Holy Day of Obligation in their honor.

In the early Church, so many of the faithful willingly

sacrificed their lives for Christ that, by the early

fourth-century, there weren't enough days on the

calendar to assign a particular day to each one. So,

the Feast of All Holy Martyrs was established.

Over time, others who lived lives outstanding in

virtue-but who had not received the crown of

martyrdom-began to be recognized and venerated

for their holiness. In the early seventh-century,

Pope Boniface IV replaced the Feast of All Holy

Martyrs with the Feast of All Saints--first celebrated

in Rome on November l5t, then extended to the

entire Church in the next century.

Now, besides the famous saints found on the Church

calendar and the lesser-known saints not on the

calendar, there are untold numbers of holy souls in

heaven not officially recognized as saints, but saints

nevertheless. These are the ones we celebrate in a

special way today.

There are as many pathways to God as there are

people; all the saints lived heroic lives in their own

unique ways. Today we commemorate the majority

of holy men, women, and children who received

little public recognition, but who simply led lives of

sacrificial love within their homes and extended the

virtues of Christian goodness toward neighbors,

friends, and associates.

We honor the example of that large population in

heaven who bolstered family, marriage, community,

Church, parish, and the Faith, offering their lives in

quiet ways to God. They received the Body of Christ

and lived His teachings in an exemplary way until

God called them back to Himself. May we seek to

emulate them.

November is the month that the Church specially

dedicates to our praying for the souls in Purgatory.

While this is something we should do daily, year-round,

the entire month of November reminds us of this

obligation.

Immediately following All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day

commemorates all those who have died and are now in

Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial sins and

temporal punishment for all sins for which they are

atoning before entering Heaven.

A plenary indulgence removes all temporal punish­

ment for sin-and so, in effect, releases a soul from

Purgatory! Two plenary indulgences, applicable only to

the souls in Purgatory, are attached to All Souls' Day,

one for visiting a church and another for visiting a

cemetery.

This Monday, November 2, all you will need to do is visit

a church, pray one Our Father and profess the Creed,

receive Holy Communion, pray an additional Our Father

and Hail Mary for the Holy Father's intentions-and,

within seven days before or after, go to Confession.

If you will be unable to come to Mass on Monday, you

will still be able to obtain the plenary indulgence by

visiting a cemetery any day up to, and including, next

Sunday. The conditions are the same, except that,

obviously, you will be visiting a cemetery instead of a

church.

Praying for the dead is a Christian obligation. Today,

when some have decided to renounce the Church's

teaching about this dogma, our prayers for the souls in

Purgatory are needed perhaps more than ever

Our Novena of Masses is another opportunity that we

have to prayerfully escort our deceased loved ones and

friends to Heaven. Enrolling them in these Masses is a

kindness; participating in the Masses is our duty. When

we are in Purgatory some day, we will look forward to

the Masses, Communions, and plenary indulgences that

others will offer for us!

Peace and Blessings,

Father Conrad

A Guide to Catholic Voting (continued ... ) This article appeared in the news feed of Our Sunday Visitor on May 29, 2016. It is reprinted here with permission - this is the second of two parts. <OSVNews.com/2016/05/29/a-guide-to-cathoUc-voting>

Is there anything Catholics must always reject?

As Catholics, we "may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems, but we cannot differ on our moral obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means, so that the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended" (FC, No. 20).

Our faith reminds us that we must always reject and oppose "intrinsically evil" actions of any sort. Acts such as the taking of innocent human life are so deeply flawed that they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor.

This is why the Church so strongly opposes abortion and physician-assisted suicide (euthanasia). In each case, the lives of the weak and the vulnerable are endangered, and there can be no good reason to allow the taking of these innocent lives or to vote for legislation that would allow these evils to result. Likewise, our Church opposes other actions that both violate human dignity and are destructive of life, such as human cloning or the destructive research on human embryos.

The Church condemns genocide, torture, the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, and racism, for they, too, are severe violations of human rights and human dignity. Related concerns are excessive consumption of material goods, unjust discrimination and the "narrowing redefinition of religious freedom which threatens both individual conscience and the freedom of the Church to serve" those in need (FC, Introductory Note).

If all of these are priorities, what is most important?

All of these issues are important, but they are not all morally or ethically equivalent. "The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed" (FC, No. 28).

At the same time, issues such as war, the death penalty, racism and care for the poor and the immigrant are enormously important. "These are not optional concerns which can be dismissed" (FC, No. 29).

The moral teaching of our Church is about more than prohibitions. We Catholics are encouraged to respond to the basic needs of human beings - food, shelter, health care, education and employment. We are called to welcome refugees and immigrants, defend religious freedom, support marriage and family and protect the environment.

But if we must keep all of these principles in mind, is there going to be anyone we can vote for?

Unfortunately, we are often forced to choose between two inadequate and flawed political agendas. It can be quite difficult to find candidates who align with our consciences on all of the key moral issues.

This is why the virtue of prudence is necessary when approaching the voting booth. This virtue helps us deliberate over the choices before us - to determine, in light of Church teaching and our formed consciences, who is most deserving of our support. In other words, in a world of imperfect choices, we must strive to make the best choice possible.

Where Catholics must be in agreement is that fundamental moral obligation we share: To "help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means, so that the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended" (FC, No. 20).

Four steps before voting

• Inform yourself about the Church's teachings. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a great place to start. Consider gathering a small group to discuss Church teachings in relation to the candidates or policies.

• Inform yourself about the issues. Read the Catholic press and listen to the candidates. See where the candidates stand on critical moral and social issues.

• Seek input from Catholics you respect.

• Pray. Take your hopes, concerns and worries to the Lord and ask for his guidance.

If no single party or candidate in a given election conforms to our key Catholic principles, what are we to do?

It is clear that one absolutely may not vote for a "candidate who favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning, or racist behavior, if the voter's intent is to support that position" (FC No. 34). But neither can one use a candidate's opposition to such evils "to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life or dignity" (FC, No. 34).

There may be times when a voter selects a candidate who holds an unacceptable position, but this can be done only for "truly grave moral reasons," not just for partisan or personal interests. It may involve the prudential judgment that one candidate seems likely to do less harm or is more likely to pursue other positive priorities.

If, for a grave reason, we do vote for a candidate who holds positions contrary to fundamental moral goods, we have a duty to make our opposition to those positions heard. Writing letters, speaking up at forums and participating in local party political activities are ways to steadfastly assert our Catholic values.

There may even be occasions when some Catholic voters feel that they must take "the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate" (FC, No. 36). This, too, is a serious decision that must be guided by one's conscience and the moral teachings of our faith.

This seems hard.

In today's political environment, voting as a Catholic is hard work. It takes serious reflection, knowledge of Church teaching and awareness of who the candidates are and where they stand on the issues.

The Church challenges us to vote for what is best for society and all of its members, particularly those least able to speak up for or defend themselves. The great privilege of democracy is that we, as citizens and religious believers, can have a voice in the direction of our country by voting for the common good; this is both a right and a responsibility. The great privilege of being Catholic is that we have a community of faith and a body of teaching, going back to Christ himself, that can help us make good decisions in the voting booth.

Additional Resources:

• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (USCCB): FaithfulCitizenship.org • Catechism of the Catholic Church (USCCB Publishing) • United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCB Publishing) • "How to Defend the Faith without Raising Your Voice", by Austen lvereigh and Kathryn Jean

Lopez • "Seek First the Kingdom: Challenging the Culture by Living Our Faith," by Cardinal Donald

Wuerl

November 1, 2020

All Saints (A) Rv 7:2-4, 9-14

1 Jn 3:1-3 Mt 5:1-12a

Who Wants to Be a Saint?

This question can be understood in two very

different ways. On the one hand it asks: Who might step forward to accomplish this feat? On the other hand, it wonders: Who wants to bother putting forth the effort? Perhaps we have read too many of the wrong "lives of the saints" to want to be one of them. So often those stories describe extraordinary feats of physical punishment. Anyone who thinks that such abuse is what makes a saint should listen to St. Irenaeus of Lyons. He insists, "The glory of God is man [Christ] fully alive." Sainthood is allowing the sanctifying grace of God to dwell habitually in us and make us like he who is fully alive-Jesus Christ. However, what does "fully alive" really mean?

To be fully alive means to be people of faith; to have deep principles and to live by them, regardless of the cost. It means to realize that we are part of the

wondrous creation of nature, and we must respect our place in it and our responsibilities for it. It means to care for others as well as for ourselves. All of this is grounded in faith in God, who loves us enough to make us and who made us to be fully alive. However, it is not always easy to live this out. Here is where the struggle comes in. We don't have to create struggle; life will do that for us. Still, to be fully alive is well worth the price we might be asked to pay. Isn't it?

-Sr. Dianne Bergant, CSA

R efte,c-tio,n · · · · · · · ···· · · · · ····· · · · · ·· · · ·· ·· · · · · · · ·· · · · · · · · ···· What challenges do your life circumstances present to you?

What prevents you from standing up for principle

in those circumstances?

t • [Jesus said,] ' "Blessed are they who are persecuted

for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven." MATTHEW 5:10

••••••••.••••••••••••••.••••••••• •············ · ···· · ········· •··············· © 2020 Liguori Publications • Liguori , MO 6305 7-9999 •········ ·· ··• · • •············· .......... ••·· , ........ • •········· · ·· ......... .

~ .............................................................................................. .................. ......................................................................... :

I exercise my civic duty to vote. How should my Catholic faith inform my voting choices?

For Catholic voters, the selection of candidates and the policies they may enact are best exercised within the sanctity of a well-formed conscience.

The Catholic approach to faithful citizenship relies on moral principles found in Scripture and on four major principles of Catholic moral and social teaching that don't "easily fit ideologies of 'right' or 'left,' 'liberal' or 'conservative,' or the platform of any political party" (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 55).

These four principles include the life and dignity of the human person (all human life is sacred, from conception to natural death); subsidiarity (the family as the basic unit of human society); "the common good (protecting basic human rights and social conditions for all, and a duty to care for God's creation); and global solidarity (especially a preferential option for the poor).

Because the Church cannot compromise these basic principles or moral teachings, our cause is the defense of human life and dignity, and the protection of the weak and

vulnerable- not a particular party or candidate (FCFC 58). Moreover, the faith-filled voter is urged to choose candidates who not only

integrate the tenets of Catholic social teaching, but who also reject intrinsically evil acts. According to St. John Paul II, those acts include "any kind of homicide, genocide, abortion, euthanasia and voluntary suicide; whatever violates the integrity of the human person .. . whatever is offensive to human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution and trafficking in women and children" (Veritatis Splendor, 80).

-Fr. Byron Miller, CSsR Sundaybulletin@Liguori.org

· ................................................... , ........ .. .. .. ......... .. ...... ... .. ............. ....................... .. .... .................................. ............... ...... ·

A WORD FROM Pope Ftanci& Christians are called to promote political dialogue, especially where it is threatened and where conflict seems to prevail. Christians are called to restore dignity to politics and to view politics as a lofty service to the common good, not a platform for power .... To be a leader demands thoughtfulness, training, and experience.

-ADDRESS TO BISHOPS' CONFERENCES OF THE

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, OCTOBER 28, 2017

Monday NOVEMBER 2 All the Faithful

Departed (All Souls' Day)

Wis 3:1-9 Rom 5:5-11 Jn 6:37-40

Tuesday NOVEMBER 3

Weekday

Phil 2:5-11 Lk 14:15-24

Wednesday NOVEMBER 4

St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop

Phil 2:1 2-18 Lk 14:25-33

Thursday NOVEMBER 5

Weekday

Phil 3:3-8a Lk 15:1-10

Friday NOVEMBER 6

Weekday

Phil 3:17-4:1 Lk 16:1-8

Saturday NOVEMBER 7

Weekday

Phil 4:10-19 Lk 16:9-15

Sunday NOVEMBER 8

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 6:12-16 1 Thes 4:13-18

or 4:13-14 Mt 25:1 - 13

© 2020 Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO 63057-9999. Printed in USA. Imprimatur: "In accordance with CIC 827, permission to publish was granted on May II , 2020, by the I L • • Most Reverend Mark S. Rivituso, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of St. Louis. Permission to publish is an indicat ion that nothing contrary to Church teaching is conta ined in this 1gyor1 work. It does not imply any endorsement of the opinions expressed in the publication; nor is any liability assumed by thi s permission." No part of this work may be used in any form without the prior written permission of Liguori Publications. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 PUBLICATIONS Con fratern ity of Christian Doctr ine, Inc., Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved. To order Liguori Sunday Bulletins, call 800-325-9521, or visit Liguori.mg. A Redemptorist Ministry