St. Joseph of the Lakes

Hurricane Relief Collection                                                                   

Archbishop Hebda has asked all parishes to take up a collection this weekend for hurricanes Helene and Milton relief. Please write any checks to St. Joseph’s of the Lakes and we will send funds to the archdiocese who then gives them to Catholic Charities USA who manages relief operations. Thank you for your generosity! Please continue to pray for all those suffering from these terrible tragedies.

Guatemala Thank You!                                                                                           

Thank you for your generosity for the collection for Guatemala. Our parish offered $4,870. That is fantastic! These funds will be used to assist the poorest of the poor who live at the garbage dump in Guatemala City and make their meager living by scrapping through the mounds of trash that are deposited each day. Your generosity helps assist these folks and offers education for the children so that they can have a better present and future. God bless you for your generosity!

Forming our Consciences to Vote                                                                 

We’re coming to the home stretch of the election season. Each election the United States Catholic Bishops offer a document called Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. You can find it on the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website and we also have printed copies in the gathering space. I thank our parish Knights of Columbus and Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary Councils for making this possible through their generous donations.

We are so blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to vote and choose our leaders. As Catholics and citizens we are called to follow our conscience as we vote, but we also have the responsibility to thoughtfully form our conscience. The bishops offer thoughtful considerations for us as we seek to form our consciences. They make it clear that they are not telling us how to vote, but rather offering things to consider as we vote. Most of us have probably already decided how we will vote, but I still encourage you to read this document. It may confirm your reasoning, or it may offer perspectives from our Catholic Faith that you may not have thought of.  May God bless you as you vote, and may God bless our country during this important time of decision.

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Deziel