The greatest event in all history is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the realization of our Catholic faith. In a sense Christ is not fully risen until he is risen in us. Even though we remember Easter as an event, we must celebrate it as a current event as God continues to work in our lives. No matter what your past, God wants to meet you in the present and transform your future. The Book Store has many books to continue this transformation.

Advent is the old and the new. The word Advent comes from the Latin advenio, "to come to," and refers to the coming of Christ. And the term “to come to” includes three references: First of all, to our celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas; second, to the coming of Christ in our lives through grace and the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and; finally, to his second coming at the end of time.

Not only is it Respect for Life Month. it is also the month of The Rosary. The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7. Please visit the gift shop for beautiful rosaries, statues, books and many more devotionals to help you have a wonderful Marian Month. Don’t forget our website www.stagiftshop.org is open 24 hours.

God revealed to a fourteenth-century saint, Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), that seven great benefits accrue to those who worship Jesus Christ by the devotion to the seven sorrows of His mother, Mary.

Devotion to the sorrows of Mary consists of brief daily meditation and prayers in memory of each of seven sorrows she experienced during earthly life. The Gift Shop has excellent books, devotionals, rosaries and chaplets to Our Lady of Sorrows.

“Only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic book.” - St. John Bosco

August is often considered the transitional month in our seasonal calendar. It is the time of the year we begin to wind-down from our summer travels and vacations and prepare for Autumn — back to school, fall festivals, harvest time, etc.

As we start to return to a more normal schedule it may be the time to consider what we have on our bookshelves for the coming year. Below is a list of 25 of the most recognized Catholic books that every family should read.

The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem, since It is the price of our salvation! It is the Blood made present on our altars by the words of Consecration. Our spiritual development is dependent upon our frequenting the sacraments and receiving the Blood of Christ.

Take time to learn more about the Devotion to the Precious Blood through the many books available in our Gift Shop or at our website www.stagiftshop.org.

As we embark on Saint Thomas the Apostle's 70th anniversary in 2020, I am moved by the opportunity to serve as your pastor at such a pivotal time for our parish. I reflect on our rich history—the many lives that have been transformed by our church and school; the many hearts that have been opened to the Gospel; the community traditions and memories we share that make this place so special—and it foreshadows a promising future. For those of you that joined me in 2016 when we launched our first Building Virtues campaign, thank you for your foresight and long term commitment to the future generations of Saint Thomas.

For those of you that are new to the STA family or were reluctant to join our previous campaign efforts, I welcome you to be a part of this important endeavor and ask for your participation, not just financially but in faith as well. As we kick off the next step in our campaign and "Continue Our Mission", I encourage every family, every parishioner, every student in our community to consider how you might make this an opportunity to grow in virtue and give of yourself sacrificially. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms (Peter 4:10).

Our parish is preparing for Perpetual Adoration beginning in February 2020. To learn more about how you can participate in adoring our Lord, please consider attending our Advent Eucharistic Mission December 16 & 17 or contact adoration@staphx.org.

What is the Eucharist?

The Eucharist is the sacrament that Jesus established when he took bread and wine, blessed them, and declared them to be his body and blood (see Luke 22:17-20). He commanded his disciples to "Do this in memory of me." He had earlier foretold that his presence in the Eucharist would be real and substantial: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever ...Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6:51, 54- 55). When a Catholic priest follows this command of Jesus and offers the words of consecration, the bread and wine are permanently changed, and they become Jesus: his body, blood, soul, and divinity. [CCC 1373-1376, 1406, 1410, 1412-1413]

This is an exciting time for Saint Thomas the Apostle. Our Building Virtues Capital Campaign these past three years has helped us make incredible progress on the vision we outlined when I became your pastor just a few years ago. Together, we have achieved so much in a short time! I want to keep the momentum we have and make progress on our master plan that will take Saint Thomas long into the future.

The parish is preparing to launch an important effort that will continue to build on the efforts we have made so far. In the past couple weeks, we began a feasibility study that will assist us in determining how to move forward. To conduct this study, we have retained the services of Ruotolo Associates, a national firm with local presence that has experience working with Catholic communities just like ours.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Starting on the feast of Christ the King, we will begin to offer the 11:00 Mass “Ad Orientem,” which is to say that the priest and the people will together turn to face the Lord in the Eucharistic Prayer. In our last bulletin letter, we began to address the reasons for this decision, starting with a brief analysis of the Second Vatican Council’s stated ends in proposing a reform of the Liturgy.