27th Sunday of the Year

Dear Friends in Christ,

This year the Solemnity of All Saints falls on a Saturday which means (according to the inscrutable wisdom of the USCCB) that the usual obligation for this holy day is lifted this year, so we will have one Mass for All Saints’ Day at 10 am on Saturday 1 November. This feast still remains a great solemnity, so come and rejoice in the fellowship of the saints in light. Also this year All Souls Day falls on a Sunday, and along with the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, this is one of the few feasts in the calendar which can take the place of the normal Sunday celebration. So Sunday 2 November will be kept as All Souls Day, and the usual weekend schedule will be observed.

All registered households have an envelope for All Souls Day with several spaces on the back for you to write the names of your beloved dead. Please complete that envelope and drop it in any collection during October so that we’ll have those names together for remembrance on All Souls Day and at every Mass throughout November.

We dedicated our beautiful Sacred Heart Columbarium one year ago on All Saints Day, and during this November all niches in the columbarium are available for a discount of 5% off the usual price. If you would like more information about acquiring one or more niches, please contact Jennifer Doiron at jennifer.doiron@stmarysgvl.org or 864.679.4102.

Given the confusion of liturgical observances in early November, allow me to point out that there are three separate collections on three consecutive days, and each one has its own envelope: All Saints, All Souls, and the Sunday collection for 2 November. I realize that this is a great nuisance, but to meet our obligations we do depend on your generosity in all of our collections, even the ones that are bunched up or badly spaced. So, please be mindful of each of these three collections, and thank you for your generosity.

Another way of making your contributions is through Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), which you can now manage yourself through a link on the homepage of our website. If you would like to begin making donations through EFT or take control of managing your account through the website, please contact Jennifer Doiron at jennifer.doiron@stmarysgvl.org or 864.679.4102.

As you can see from the weekly report of financial news in the e-bulletin, we are about 5% behind budget for this fiscal year, and that has been the pattern for the first six months of the last ten fiscal years. If the pattern holds, then we will turn the corner at Christmas and come close to a balanced budget by the end of the fiscal year. As you make decisions about your level of support for each collection, please bear in mind our guidelines for distributing your tithe: 5% of your income to the parish through the offertory, 1% to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, and 4% to other charities of your choice, including our capital campaign. Thank you for your commitment to St. Mary’s.

Father Newman