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After 6 months travel from overseas, the Celtic cross that was ordered in memory of Fr. John Flanagan has just arrived and has been placed in the cemetery near the Oak tree, left of the entrance. You are welcome to visit the memorial cross.

In this, my first Message for the World Day of Peace, I wish to offer to everyone, individuals and peoples, my best wishes for a life filled with joy and hope. In the heart of every man and woman is the desire for a full life, including that irrepressible longing for fraternity which draws us to fellowship with others and enables us to see them not as enemies or rivals, but as brothers and sisters to be accepted and embraced. Fraternity is an essential human quality, for we are relational beings. A lively awareness of our relatedness helps us to look upon and to treat each person as a true sister or brother; without fraternity it is impossible to build a just society and a solid and lasting peace. We should remember that fraternity is generally first learned in the family, thanks above all to the responsible and complementary roles of each of its members, particularly the father and the mother. The family is the wellspring of all fraternity, and as such it is the foundation and the first pathway to peace, since, by its vocation, it is meant to spread its love to the world around it. The ever-increasing number of interconnections and communications in today’s world makes us powerfully aware of the unity and common destiny of the nations. In the dynamics of history, and in the diversity of ethnic groups, societies and cultures, we see the seeds of a vocation to form a community composed of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another. But this vocation is still frequently denied and ignored in a world marked by a “globalization of indifference” which makes us slowly inured to the suffering of others and closed in on ourselves. In many parts of the world, there seems to be no end to grave offences against fundamental human rights, especially the right to life and the right to religious freedom. The tragic phenomenon of human trafficking, in which the unscrupulous prey on the lives and the desperation of others, is but one unsettling example of this. Alongside overt armed conflicts are the less visible but no less cruel wars fought in the economic and financial sectors with means which are equally destructive of lives, families and businesses. For the complete document by Pope Francis you may go to the Vatican website.

U.S. Bishops: Court Ruling Cannot Change Essence of Marriage In the wake of the Supreme Court’s rulings on DOMA and Proposition 8, the bishops of the U.S. are calling on the faithful to work to strengthen marriage and witness to its true meaning. “While the culture has failed in many ways to be marriage strengthening, this is no reason to give up. Now is the time to strengthen marriage, not redefine it, “said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. Cardinal Dolan is the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archbishop Cordileone chairs the conference’s subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage. In a joint statement, they called the rulings “a profound injustice to the American people” and urged a renewed effort to proclaim the truth about marriage as the only institution that unites a man and a woman for the sake of any children that may come from their union. On June 26, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act in a 5-4 decision, claiming that it violated the Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law. The court said that it is up to the states to define marriage individually, and the federal government must accept the definition given by each state. Now is the time to redouble our efforts in witnessing to the truths of our Catholic faith. Please pray daily for our country and those in authority.

The St. Jerome Altar Society is inviting parishioners to help decorate the Church for Christmas by donating for the purchase of poinsettia plants in honor of your family or in memory of a loved one. Altar Society members will assist you at weekend Masses.

5:00PM Holy Mass and Healing Service with Australian Visionary, Healer, Mystic Come and Listen to Alan’s amazing story of God’s love. From a violent man Alan’s heart was transformed to a humble loving servant of God. Alan lives a deeply mystical prayer life, and has been graced with the gift of Healing. Alan travels throughout the world to evangelize and heal those in need. We are blessed to have him back to San Antonio again! Please invite your family, friends and neighbors to come. Alan Ames, an internationally known evangelist, visionary mystic who has been given the gift of healing will be praying over each individual who attends the healing services. Many miraculous cures have occurred during these services. Alan has the endorsements of many Bishops and Priests throughout the world, including Bishop Flanagan who wrote, “Alan’s message is sincere, sound and he speaks and writes in fidelity to the teachings of the Church. He has my permission to speak in this Archdiocese and share his message of Hope and Healing”. http://www.alanames.org