From the Desk of Father Haan
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November 15, 2020 THE 33RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 11441 HAGUE RD — FISHERS, IN 46038 (317)842-6778 www.sldmfishers.org From the Desk of Father Haan Spiritual Retreat This coming week I will be on my annual priestly retreat. Priests are obligated by the Canon Law of the Catholic Church to go on a five-day retreat each year, to be refreshed in Christ and re-center their ministry efforts on union with Jesus in per- sonal prayer. Father Sean completed his in October. Jesus is the model for going on retreats—He began His public ministry with forty days in the desert. He also spent all night in prayer before selecting His apostles and before His Passion. Most of the great saints of the Church went on annual re- treats. Great examples include St. Francis of Assisi (whose re- treat on Mount Alverno culminated in receiving the Stigmata), St. Ignatius of Loyola, who used his own expe- riences to develop the thirty-day Spiritual Exercises, and St. Francis de Sales, who spread the “Exercises” to the laity as a means for their growth in holiness in the middle of the world. Modern-day retreats for lay people take many forms, but usually involve a weekend (or sometimes longer) away from home and familiar routines, usually under the direction of a priest, with talks, reflections, and also plenty of “alone time” for prayer and spiritual reading. I believe every Catholic would benefit from taking an annual retreat, whether it’s one day or even a five day retreat. When scheduling a retreat, here are some things to keep in mind: • Make sure the retreat is conducted by an organization that is truly faithful to the teachings of the Church. Nothing ruins a retreat like talks filled with heresy and error! • Attend a retreat that offers daily Mass, an opportunity to go to Confession, and hopefully adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. • Disconnect from all technology: texts, calls, and e-mails included. Be fully present to the retreat. • Bring a notebook, a spiritual book, and the New Testament. • Make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Is it just an opportunity to get some rest, or is it a chance to grown in love for Jesus Christ, and later share that love for Him and His Church with others? There are many places throughout the United States that offer Catholic retreats for laypersons, but I’ll specifi- cally mention three that are wonderful and local: • St. Joseph Retreat Center, Tipton, IN. This is run by our diocese and has tons of great opportunities. Find out more at Stjosephretreat.org. • Shellbourne Conference Center, Valparaiso, IN. Beautiful grounds, wonderful food, and rich talks given by holy priests. Find out more at shellbourne.net. • Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center, Bloomington, IN. In the model of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate offer reverent, beautiful Masses, adoration, and confessions. Find out more at motheroftheredeemer.com. In between the times that you do a full retreat, also be open to a retreat day or smaller retreat offering such as SLDM Advent retreat or a CRHP weekend. (See the bulletin for information on these offerings). Please pray that I have a spiritually rich and fruitful retreat! Under the Mercy, Father Haan St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church Parish Mission Statement Parish Vision Statement Saint Louis -Marie Love God St. Louis de Montfort will be a Grignion de Montfort: 1673-1716 Make Disciples dynamic witness of the Gospel and lead others to embrace Feast day: April 28 Serve Christ in the World the love of God. “To Jesus through Mary” Pastor, Fr. Thomas Haan Thanks to all parish- Associate Pastor, Fr. Sean Aaron ioners who have dis- Parish Hours/Office Info cerned a gift and The parish office is open Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm pledged to our Catho- (Closed Noon-1pm for Lunch) lic Ministries Appeal, Parish Office Number: 317-842-6778 OFFICE CLOSED WEEKENDS we are at 64% of our Emergency Number to reach Priests: 317-967-2443 goal as of now. Your Fax Number: 317-576-1932 generosity will go a Mass Schedule long way in in building our Catholic Faith in Weekend Saturday (Vigil) 5:00 pm our parish and across the diocese. For those that have Weekday supported this cam- Monday-Saturday: 8:00am paign in the past Tuesday & Thursday: 6:00pm (formally Fruitful Har- Friday: 8:00am and Noon vest) but haven’t yet Knights of Columbus will lead the rosary in the Church 25 minutes before each weekend Mass. had a chance to pledge, we ask you to Holy Days of Obligation do so now by visiting Jan. 1 Mary, Mother of God https://dol-in.org/cma or pick up a pledge card in the Aug. 15 Assumption of Mary Narthex or parish office. Your support in the past was Nov. 1 All Saints Day greatly appreciated and needed still. Dec. 25 Nativity of the Lord Watch bulletin for time changes. For those that haven’t supported this campaign in the past, we humbly ask you discern a gift of $50.00/ Reconciliation is offered Tuesdays and Thurs- month over the next 14 months (November 2020 until days from 5-5:50pm, every Saturday morning following the December 2021). A $700.00 gift from all parishioners 8am Mass, or by appointment. who are able would help us reach our goal. But no New Parishioners amount is too small. Our warmest welcome to all who worship with our parish For further information about this appeal contact Fr. family, whether long-time resident or new visitor to our Haan, Fr. Sean, lay leader Matt Tucco or Scott Bern- parish. If you are interested in registering at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church, you may do so on our website hardt. And again, thank you for being part of our parish (www.sldmfishers.org) or at the parish office. community and all the support you provide. Is this Sunday’s Gospel about investments, skills, or God-given abilities? There is a lesson for all three to be unpacked, but my focus today will be on growth. God is the truest giver of all things good. In our Nicene Creed we profess “Lord of all life.” Be it our family, career advancement, accolades, virtues, friendships, personality, creativity, or skills; at the end of the day, God has bestowed us with a myriad of blessings. God entrusts these to our care (making us stewards) in hopes that we can nurture them, grow them, and share them with others. The master gave his tenants piles of money and he wanted them to make prudent decisions, to greaten their worth and their ability. In a similar fashion, God has given each of us specific qualities, experiences, strengths, families, jobs, and a mission to bring the Kingdom to life. The questions we wrestle with today are simple, yet trying. Am I growing the gifts God has entrusted to my care? Am I nourishing these blessings to help others and bring them to an encounter with Jesus Christ? Am I pouring into my marriage, so my do- mestic church can blossom and thrive? Am I focused on building wealth for myself or to help those most in need and supporting charities who reach out to the under-served? Am I using my skills, strengths, virtues, and God-given abilities to bring about the mission at hand: to Love God, make disciples, and serve Christ in the world? God did not call us to take our blessings and place them on a bookshelf or on the living room mantle. He calls us to action. God calls us to put them on like armor as we enter this suffering world to be vehicles of grace, hope, and the authentic love of Jesus the Christ. Lift your talents in pray- er to the foot of the cross, and allow Christ to grow them, transform them, and to use them as bridges for people to come to know the Lord, through your God-given abilities! St. Louis de Montfort, Pray for Us. God Bless, Reid Leazier, Coordinator of Faith Formation Bless those in need this Christmas. The Giving Tree project for Logansport Hospital will be organized a little differently this year in order to keep everyone safe. The hospital staff has asked us for even more help, as other churches that normally help are not going to be able to do so this year. For that reason, in addition to the normal gift donations, we will be directing one of our weekly tithes to this project. The VIRTUAL Due to the necessity to social distance, we are using Sign-Up Genius instead of gift tags on a Giving Tree tree in the narthex. Items requested are: Ladies’ Watches - Men’s Watches - Baseball Caps - Men’s Socks - Hats - Sunglasses The tithe will be used for phone cards, stamps, a pizza party for Christmas and any other unmet needs that are normally covered by fundraising, which has all been cancelled due to the pandemic. TO SIGN UP AND DONATE, PLEASE VISIT http://bit.ly/sldmgivingtree2020 All gifts need to be placed unwrapped in the collection box in the Narthex by Sunday, November 29th. For those of you who are new to SLDM, supporting the patients at Logansport State Hospital with Christmas gifts has been a parish tradition since 1988. Logansport hospital is a psychiatric hospital, and although the state takes care of the basic needs of the patients, it does not provide them with Christmas gifts. Thank you for your continued generosity in supporting our brothers and sisters in need who are patients at the hospital.