Immaculate Conception Church

The Activities Committee is hosting a fundraiser selling poinsettias, wreaths and cemetery. Orders, with payment, will be due by Sunday, November 8th. See flier for details. Any questions, email Christine at: [email protected].

For the month of November, please consider donating non perishable food and personal care products. Please make sure products are not expired.

NOVEMBER 3, 2020 "For a Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set the whole world on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts him; he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander, and rejoices in suffering. His only concern is how he can best follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him in working, suffering, and striving constantly a...nd single-mindedly for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls." St. Anthony Mary Claret-- MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Our Lord, by descending into hell, planted (if I may thus express myself), in the spiritual garden of the Church, a mysterious tree, the fruits of whichnamely, His meritsare destined for the constant relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory. The Church Militant must cultivate the tree, and gather its fruits, in order to present them to that suffering portion of the Church which can do nothing for itself. Thus it is with all the merits of Christ; we must labor with Him if we wish to obtain our share of them; we must gain our bread by the sweat of our brow. Everything which Our Lord has done for us in time must produce fruit for eternity; but we must gather these fruits in time, without which we cannot possess them in eternity. The Church is the most prudent and thoughtful of mothers; the ecclesiastical year is an immense and magnificent garden, in which all those fruits for eternity are gathered together, that we may make use of them in time. Each year contains sufficient to supply the wants of all; but woe be to that careless or dishonest gardener who allows any of the fruit committed to his care to perish; if he fails to turn to a proper account those grace which would restore health to the sick, strength to the weak, or furnish food to the hungry! When the Day of Judgment arrives, the Master of the garden will demand a strict account, not only of every tree, but also of all the fruit produced in the garden." Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich-- VERSE OF THE DAY "'Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!' The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." Psalm 46:10-11

ALL SOULS DAY November 2nd is All Souls Day, sometimes called the Day of the Dead. On this day, and during the month of November, the Church prays in a special way for the souls of the faithful departed, and individuals pray especially for those whom they have known and loved. The Holy Souls in purgatory died in the mercy of God, thus they are called "holy." However, because they still had attachment to sin at the time of their death, they must undergo the spiritual purificat...ion of their souls before they are able to fully love God with their whole heart, mind, and soul for all eternity. As they are nevertheless part of the communion of saints, they depend upon us to help ease their suffering and quickly advance them through their purification so that they can join the saints in heaven. Those in purgatory cannot pray for themselves, this is why they are also called "poor." They can no longer merit anything for themselves and rely entirely on living souls to pray and make sacrifices on their behalf. See more

NOVEMBER 2, 2020 "Persevere in labors that lead to salvation. Always be busy in spiritual actions. In this way, no matter how often the enemy of our souls approaches, no matter how many times he may try to come near us, he'll find our hearts closed and armed against him." St. Cyprian of Carthage--... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Many are heading straight on for purgatory. They live until their last hour, even though they are seriously ill, even on their deathbed, as if everything is all right. Exclusively directed to the earthly, they don’t think at all about calling upon the mercy of God. Although by doing so they would be spared at least a severe purgatory. For God is infinitely merciful for all who call upon Him and trust Him." VERSE OF THE DAY "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25

ALL SAINTS DAY On November 1st the Church celebrates all her holy ones in heaven, known and unknown, with the feast of All Saints. The solemnity originally began in the 4th century to commemorate all the Christian martyrs killed during those centuries of brutal persecution before Christianity was legalized. There were so many martyrs that a separate feast day could not be given to each one individually, yet, the Church did not want to leave any martyr without proper veneration. A common feast day developed and was usually celebrated in the Easter season. In the 8th century Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica to all the saints and moved the feast day to November 1st. The feast of All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation.

NOVEMBER 1, 2020 "Never say, 'What great things the saints do,' but, 'What great things God does in His saints.'" St. Philip Neri--... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "The life of faith is nothing less than the continued pursuit of God through all that disguises, disfigures, destroys and, so to say, annihilates Him. It is in very truth a reproduction of the life of Mary who, from the Stable to the Cross, remained unalterably united to that God whom all the world misunderstood, abandoned, and persecuted. In like manner faithful souls endure a constant succession of trials. God hides beneath veils of darkness and illusive appearances which make His will difficult to recognize; but in spite of every obstacle these souls follow Him and love Him even to the death of the Cross." Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade-- VERSE OF THE DAY "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

Solemnity of All Saints November 1, 2020 PMB 187 For All The Saints... 1 For all the saints who from their labors rest, all who their faith before the world confessed, Your name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia! 2 You were their rock, their fortress, and their might; You, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; You, in the darkness drear, their one true light. Alleluia! Alleluia! 3 O may your soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, fight as the saints who bravely fought of old, and win with them the victor's crown of gold. Alleluia! Alleluia Gather 636 Blest Are They [Verse 1] Blest are they, the poor in spirit Theirs is the kingdom of God Blest are they, full of sorrow They shall be consoled [Chorus] Rejoice, and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God! [Verse 2] Blest are they, the lowly ones They shall inherit the earth Blest are they, who hunger and thirst They shall have their fill [Chorus] Rejoice, and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God! [Verse 3] Blest are they, who show mercy Mercy shall be theirs Blest are they, the pure of heart They shall see God! [Chorus] Rejoice, and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God! [Verse 4] Blest are they, who seek peace They are the children of God Blest are they who suffer in faith The glory of God is theirs [Chorus] Rejoice, and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God! [Verse 5] Blest are you, who suffer hate All because of me Rejoice and be glad, yours is the kingdom of God Shine for all to see [Chorus] Rejoice, and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you! Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God! Gather 442 Sing with all the Saints in Glory 1. Sing with all the saints in glory, sing the resurrection song! Death and sorrow, earth's dark story, to the former days belong. All around the clouds are breaking, soon the storms of time shall cease; in God's likeness we, awaking, know the everlasting peace. 2. O what glory, far exceeding all that eye has yet perceived! Holiest hearts, for ages pleading, never that full joy conceived. God has promised, Christ prepares it, there on high our welcome waits. Every humble spirit shares it; Christ has passed th'eternal gates.

OCTOBER 31, 2020 "Christ Himself is our mouth through which we speak to the Father, our eye through which we see the Father, our right hand through which we offer to the Father. Without His intercession neither we nor all the saints have anything with God." St. Ambrose-... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like. I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence." St. Faustina Kowalska-- VERSE OF THE DAY "Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all." Romans 12:14-18

OCTOBER 30, 2020 "Don't spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit, and love God." St. Padre Pio--... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "We should recall that no man is an island, entire of itself. Our lives are involved with one another, through innumerable interactions they are linked together. No one lives alone. No one sins alone. No one is saved alone. The lives of others continually spill over into mine: in what I think, say, and do, and achieve. And conversely, my life spills over into that of others: for better or for worse. So my prayer for another is not something extraneous to that person, something external, not even after death." Pope Benedict XVI-- VERSE OF THE DAY "In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13-14

OCTOBER 29, 2020 "Let all creation help you to praise God. Give yourself the rest you need. When you are walking alone, listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, the sun and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to proclaim the greatness of the one who has given them being." St. Paul of the Cross--... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "True devotion to Our Lady is constant. It confirms the soul in good, and does not let it easily abandon its spiritual exercises. It makes it courageous in opposing the world in its fashions and maxims, the flesh in its weariness and passions, and the devil in his temptations; so that a person truly devout to our Blessed Lady is neither changeable, irritable, scrupulous nor timid. It is not that such a person does not fall, or change sometimes in the sensible feeling of devotion. But when he falls, he rises again by stretching out his hand to his good Mother. When he loses the taste and relish of devotions, he does not become disturbed because of that; for the just and faithful client of Mary lives by the faith (Heb. 10:38) of Jesus and Mary, and not by natural sentiment." St. Louis De Montfort-- VERSE OF THE DAY "Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."" John 6:35

OCTOBER 28, 2020 "The Holy Bible is like a mirror before our mind's eye. In it we see our inner face. From the Scriptures we can learn our spiritual deformities and beauties. And there too we discover the progress we are making and how far we are from perfection." Pope St. Gregory the Great--... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Just as God’s creature, the sun, is one and the same the world over, so also does the Church’s preaching shine everywhere to enlighten all men who want to come to a knowledge of the truth. Now of those who speak with authority in the churches, no preacher however forceful will utter anything differentfor no one is above the Masternor will a less forceful preacher diminish what has been handed down. Since our faith is everywhere the same, no one who can say more augments it, nor can anyone who says less diminish it." St. Ignatius of Antioch-- VERSE OF THE DAY "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:19

OCTOBER 27, 2020 "When you have free moments, go faithfully to prayer. The good God is waiting for you there." St. Julie Billiart--... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Many things happen that God does not will. But he still permits them, in his wisdom, and they remain a stumbling block or scandal to our minds. God asks us to do all we can to eliminate evil. But despite our efforts, there is always a whole set of circumstances which we can do nothing about, which are not necessarily willed by God but nevertheless are permitted by him, and which God invites us to consent to trustingly and peacefully, even if they make us suffer and cause us problems. We are not being asked to consent to evil, but to consent to the mysterious wisdom of God who permits evil. Our consent is not a compromise with evil but the expression of our trust that God is stronger than evil. This is a form of obedience that is painful but very fruitful." Fr. Jacques Philippe- VERSE OF THE DAY "So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs." Mark 16:19-20

OCTOBER 26, 2020 "The goodness of God is the highest object of prayer, and it reaches down to our lowest need. It quickens our soul and gives it life, and makes it grow in grace and virtue." St. Julian of Norwich--... MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Know this: just as the wood of the ark saved the just from drowning, so too, by the mystery of His wooden Cross, does Christ, the Church’s God and King, save us from drowning in the sea of this world. In the symbol of a thing made of wood He gave human beings a foreshadowing of both the judgment to come and the salvation of the just." St. Augustine-- VERSE OF THE DAY "For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ. But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:6-7