Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
At the beginning of the second reading this Sunday, Paul begins in this way: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you. Then later he continues with the following prayer.
 
                                             That your love may increase ever more and more
                                                   in knowledge and every kind of perception,
                                                               to discern what is of value,
                                    so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
                                                           filled with the fruit of righteousness
                                                              that comes through Jesus Christ
                                                              for the glory and praise of God.
 
Paul’s prayer is that we, as Christians, may allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with an ever-increasing love that knows no bounds. In a world that is too often overwhelmed by bitterness, resentment, and unbridled nastiness of every kind, this may seem like an impossible dream. How will love grow in our hearts and minds when we are constantly bombarded by spite and condemnation? How can we let love grow in our hearts when we are constantly being conditioned to find fault in our neighbor’s actions, rather than to extend forgiveness and understanding?
 
The answer is to discern through prayer what is of value from a heart that is filled with love instead of animosity. Although this may be hard to accomplish in practice, it is worth the effort.  We must allow the Holy Spirit to show us how God views the world and the people he has placed in our lives. When we see things and other people as God sees them we will find the peace every soul longs for.
 
Peace,
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
It has been several years since our last parish pictorial directory was printed.  This coming spring, we will be working with LIFETOUCH to produce a new, updated directory. I’d like to thank Sue and Ed Anstead for their willingness to coordinate this effort. We will need volunteers for about ten minutes after the weekend Masses of March 10th, 17th, and 24th, 2019, to help with the signup process in the narthex. If you could volunteer for just one or more Masses, we would be most grateful. Please, call Sue Anstead at 717-203-2204 for more details.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
On this last Sunday of Ordinary Time, we celebrate the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ. In our Gospel reading for today Pilate asks Jesus: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus does not answer the question directly.  He is not merely an earthly king. His kingdom is from above.  He came down from heaven and he now reigns from heaven, but his kingdom remains among us.  Where is his kingdom exactly? It exists wherever we, his faithful people, carry out God’s will.  It is found whenever we embrace the truth, listen to his voice, and respond to his Word.
 
As we prepare to begin a new liturgical year, it is time for us to declare anew that Jesus is our Lord, Savior, and King.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
As we approach the end of another liturgical year, our readings draw our attention to Jesus’ glorious return.  He offers us these words of hope: “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.”  All of creation, heaven, and earth, will be made new including our mortal remains.  On that unknown day God will fulfill the last of his promises to us and share the fullness of our inheritance.
 
This week, we will gather together with friends and family to give thanks for God’s bountiful blessings.  May we never take His gifts for granted nor shirk our responsibility to be faithful stewards of all he has given us.
 
Happy Thanksgiving!!
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Every November we remember to pray for all those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.  We also remember the intentions of all those who have suffered a loss over the past year.  May God grant them the peace and consolation they seek.
 
In a special way this month, please pray for the following souls from our parish, who passed away over the last year.
 
MILDRED PETERS
REBECCA CVEK
GEORGE BAUER
DONALD DARR
KYLE INGHAM
EDWARD VANHORN
SHELLY BAUMBACH
SHIRLEY KREISER
RUTH MALLANSON
KEVIN WILLIAMS
THERESA RINGLER
ROBERT SCHLOSSER
CAROL ANNE MCQUIGGAN
MARGARET HAITZ
DOLORES  YURKOVIC
THOMAS YURKOVICH
ROSALIE CLARK
HENRY (CHIP) CHIPRIANO
ROSE FUSCO
 
 
“Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them, O Lord, and Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them. May All of the Faithful Departed, Through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace. Amen.”
 
Peace,  Fr. Steve
 

The Solemnity of All Saints
 
The earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of “all the martyrs.” In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagon-loads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church.
 
According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended “that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons.”
 
But the rededication of the Pantheon, like the earlier commemoration of all the martyrs, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in the spring, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost.
 
How the Western Church came to celebrate this feast, now recognized as a solemnity, in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century.
 
This feast first honored martyrs. Later, when Christians were free to worship according to their consciences, the Church acknowledged other paths to sanctity. In the early centuries the only criterion was popular acclaim, even when the bishop’s approval became the final step in placing a commemoration on the calendar. The first papal canonization occurred in 993; the lengthy process now required to prove extraordinary sanctity took form in the last 500 years. Today’s feast honors the obscure as well as the famous—the saints each of us have known.
(franciscanmedia.org)
 
Peace,
Fr. Steve

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
This week in our psalm response we cry out: Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
 
 When we express our faith and trust in Jesus, we acknowledge that He is the ultimate authority in our lives.   He willingly left behind the glory of heaven to come to earth to love us, serve us, and ultimately to save us.   If we truly want to be first and experience the glory of heaven, we must be willing to follow his example, by living our lives as servants.   Jesus’ power and authority come from his love, mercy and the divine life of grace that He shares with us.  Any power and authority that is given to us, must be rooted in these same gifts.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Recently our Coordinator of Religious Education, Amy Smedley, submitted her resignation for personal reasons.  Her last day will be Wednesday, October 17.  I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Amy on behalf of our entire St. Peter Parish family for the over 12 years that she has devoted to this important parish ministry.  Passing on the faith to our children is vital to the life of our parish and church, and our Religious Education program is a keystone, allowing us to further the mission of forming future disciples.
 
I have no plans to hire a new CRE before next summer.   For the remainder of the current school year, I will be serving as the interim Director of Religious Education. After October 17, 2018, I ask that all questions, concerns or issues related to our Religious Education program be sent directly to me at the following email address: REstpeteretown@gmail.com.   In advance I thank you all for your patience and support as we continue our journey together this year.
 
Please keep Amy and her family in your prayers. I know that she is looking forward to having more time to spend with her new grandson, Jackson Christopher.
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve
 

Dear Brothers and Sister and Christ,
 
I am happy to announce that after a several month search, Fr. Ted Keating, Pastor of Seven Sorrows Parish in Middletown, and I have hired a Coordinator of Youth Ministry to assist us in instituting LIFETEEN in our parishes.   Molly Lahr, is a parishioner at Seven Sorrows and I look forward to having her introduce herself to our parish in the near future.  
 
To fully implement LIFETEEN for our high school youth and the corresponding EDGE program for middle schoolers, much planning and team building will be required.  I thank you in advance for your patience and support during this time of transition as we seek to provide meaningful ministry to our youth that will enable them to become true disciples of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
 
Stay tuned for more details!!
 
Peace,
 
Fr. Steve