October is the month of the Holy Rosary, one of two months traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Mother, May being the other month. Do you pray the rosary? I am edified that many Catholics pray the rosary, meditating on the mysteries of Jesus and Mary as they recite Our Fathers and Hail Marys. In years gone by and even today, many Catholic families prayed the rosary as a family prayer. If you haven’t prayed the rosary for a while, perhaps you would consider picking up your rosary again this month. And if you haven’t prayed together as a family, praying a family rosary would be an excellent idea.

Collection for victims of Hurricane Ian — Hurricane Ian caused devastating losses for the people of Florida and other southern states. Next weekend, October 8-9, we will take up a second collection to be sent to Catholic Charities USA so that the Catholic Charities agencies in the Dioceses affected by the hurricane will have resources to help the people who are suffering. Please be generous.

RCIA — The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is typically for those individuals who want to learn about the Catholic faith and who are considering asking for the sacraments of initiation or full communion with the Catholic Church. Our RCIA program will be offered by Zoom every Monday evening at 7 PM and will begin on October 17. Since we are offering this program by Zoom, all are welcome, not just those who may enter the Catholic Church, but anyone who wishes to learn more about the Catholic faith. The teachers will be: Father Tom, Father JohnMcCloskey and John Paul Spiro. If you are interested in receiving the Zoom invitation, email Father Tom below:

Young Adult Ministry — Last weekend, we reached out to young adults (those in their 20s and 30s) and we obtained contact information from 57 people. I am encouraged that we now have a list of young adults whom we can contact. We will hold our first young adult event in late October. In the meantime, I am forming a planning group. Anyone interested in receiving information about young adult activates, please email me or contact the parish office.

Installation Mass — It is my privilege and joy to be pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Church. The formal installation of me as pastor will be on Sunday, November 13 at the 10:30 AM Mass. Bishop Timothy Senior will preside. Please mark your calendar and, if possible, attend the installation Mass.

Family of Bethany —The Family of Bethany is a group of volunteers who meet once each month on Saturday to clean the Church. If you are interested in helping to keep our sacred space clean, please contact me at the Parish Office or by email.

Philadelphia Catholic Charities Collection — In last week’s bulletin we reported in error that the second collection on September 24-25, was for Saint John Hospice. Actually, it was for Catholic Charities and we collected $968. Contributions to our Poor Box until October 15 will go to Saint John Hospice Boot Up Philadelphia campaign.

Firefighters Mass — Pre-Covid, Saint John’s had a wonderful tradition of an annual Mass for firefighters, celebrated on the third Saturday of February. At this Mass, we remember four firefighters who died in February, 1899 battling the fire that destroyed Saint John Church. Note that there are four plaques in the sidewalk in front of our church commemorating these heroic firefighters. This week, I met with parishioners who will help me to revive this venerable tradition. The 2023 Mass will be on February 18. We will say much more about the firefighters Mass in early 2023.