FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK - NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

Please see the insert in the bulletin this week illustrating the parish’s Financial Report ending June 2023. Thank you for your generosity in fulfilling our parish’s financial needs.

Happy Feast of St. Martin! Throughout the history of the Church, St. Martin’s Day, or Martinmas, was one of the biggest celebrations in the liturgical year. This was the traditional date of Catholic “Thanksgiving,” when the fall harvest festival would be held. The main dish wasn’t turkey, but duck. November 11 was traditionally the start of Advent, the 40-day period of fasting and abstinence before Christmas. With Advent being as short as possible this year (3 weeks and 1 day), it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start it on November 11! If you’re reading this before Saturday, please join us on November 11 at the 9:00am trilingual Mass celebrating our patron saint.

One of our parish’s Scouts, Jose Saucedo, recently led a project to revamp our fire pit on Fr. Meyer Field. The Scouts did a superb job, adding a shed where we can store firewood, as well as a rain barrel for extinguishing fires. If you would like to contribute to defray some of the costs of this project, please see Jose’s GoFundMe page, https://gofund.me/984600ef

Next Saturday, November 18, we are hosting a special event called Preparing for Eternal Life. After the 9:00am Mass, you are invited to the parish hall for a spiritual reflection on the Christian understanding of death. There will also be presentations on:

• How to make end-of-life decisions

• How to speak with family members (who may be out of the practice of the faith) about your desires for making end-of-life decisions, including funeral and burial plans

• Estate planning

• Catholic Cemeteries

• Preparing your will

In Christ,

Fr. Dave