I am profoundly grateful to you for your overwhelming generosity to me these past months. Your calls, cards, foodstuffs, written messages and unceasing prayers continue to be a source of great consolation. Your genuine love and concern have touched me deeply. I have discovered that many of our fellow parishioners are cancer survivors and that many are also undergoing treatment. Please remember them in your prayers.

Many of you voiced concern for my daily care and comfort. Please know that I am blessed beyond measure. My San Francisco family and closest friends are attentive daily. I am surrounded with the fraternal affection and solicitude of my brother priests, the gently reassurance and Irish soda bread of our resident sisters and the professional discretion and loving attention of our parish staff.

The greatest gift I have valued and savored the most is the presence of our housekeeper, Lilo Quintana.

Lilo’s professional competency in so many areas has created a safe and trusting place for us. She is really a “Mother to the Priests.” Every day she brings a radiant spirit of love, joy and laughter to the rectory. Lilo transforms every occasion into a celebration. God’s love for us shines through her beautiful eyes and her captivating smile. Lilo’s goodness, holiness and faithful discipleship has turned our rectory into a home and she is the heart. I am proud to be her brother in faith and to call her my friend.

What a magnificent parish family we are at Saint Robert’s!

As of August 28thth we have received $26,272.89 and $1,340.71 in tips. The total is $27,613.60!

Classes for Children Grades 6th, 7th and 8th begin on Tuesday, October 4th from 6:45 to 8 pm. in Hennessy Hall.

Confirmation classes for 10th graders started on Sunday, August 28th.

Jason & Sandra Kruljac & Family
Benjamin & Alanna Vigil & Family
Luciano & Maria Lourdes Firmacion & Family
Chester & Jeanette Kunnappilly & Family
Ted & Jeanne McCann & Family
Jeffrey & Teresa Liu & Family

The San Bruno Clinic, at 1001 Sneath Lane, Suite 300 is an outpatient facility of the San Francisco VA Medical Center and offers a full range of primary care services including: preventative care, nutrition, cancer screening, and vaccinations. Mental health services will be coming soon. The clinic is open from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Please phone them at 553-8000. You do not have to be disabled to utilize this clinic.

November is traditionally the month set aside by our church to commemorate and celebrate the memories of our departed loved ones. This year we will have a special Mass on the feast of All Souls, Wednesday, November 2nd. All are invited to this liturgy. The names of those buried from St. Robert’s and relatives of parishioners buried from other churches will be read aloud by members of the Consolation Ministry and a special candle will be lit and placed on the altar in their memory.

We will have a special shrine erected in Our Lady’s alcove in the church with their names inscribed in a Memorial Book. Please bring pictures, memorial cards or flowers to place in this shrine all during November. We will also post their names around the walls of the church, so that the faithful will be reminded of our departed loved ones each time they enter the church.

We are asking a special favor from you, the parishioners. We have recorded all those buried from Saint Robert’s but would like to remember all of your departed loved ones that are buried/cremated from any other church or Funeral Home during the past year. Information needs to be received to us no later than October 26th. Please either call the rectory at 589-2800 or Sister Patricia at 589-0104 with the name of your loved one along with the date of their burial.

As a Parish Community

We continue to ask each week that parishioners pray for the chronically ill of our parish. If you have a friend or loved one in need of our parish prayers please call the Rectory at 589-2800.

Consolation Ministry Committee-Will meet on Wednesday, October 5th at 9:00 a.m. in Mary’s Chapel.

Mother Teresa has said: “To be alone with Jesus in adoration and intimate union with Him is the greatest love—–the tender love of our Father in heaven. The fruit of our adoration is that our love for Jesus is more intimate, our love for each other is more understanding, our love for the poor is more compassionate.”

St. Robert’s Church will be celebrating the Feast of St. Francis with the annual “Blessing of the Animals” on Saturday, October 1st. Bring all your pets regardless of size or shape to the parking lot at 10:30 a.m. Deacon Duffey will bless each animal and even give some a hug (maybe). So please join us as we pray, sing and ask God to bless the little creatures that we so love.

Refreshments will be served.

Actions Speak Louder than Words
Jesus’ parable spoken to the chief priests and elders, applies equally to us: our values are most clearly witnessed in our actions, not in our words. We know this intuitively when a parent says to the children, “Do as I say, not as I do.” So, the question is how well do we act out what we say we believe as Catholics?

We saw and heard many examples of great heroism and love as we watched the disaster in the Southern states unfold. Caregivers stayed with the person in their care, even when it meant their own death. A doctor carefully wrapped records of the children with cancer so when they were evacuated to other hospitals, doctors there would know the types and doses of medication each was to receive. Fire and police personnel rescued tens of thousands and then, respectfully gathered the bodies of those who died.

Voter Registration
If you have never registered, will be 18 by Nov. 8th, changed your name or your address or party affiliation, you need to register or re-register! We will have materials available for you at the main entrance to the church next weekend after all the Masses. Unless you know one of them by heart, you should bring your Social Security number or driver’s license number with you. Even though you may feel that the special election is a waste of money, there are 8 issues on the ballot including: prescription drug discounts for the poor, teacher tenure and school funding, reapportionment of political districts, political contributions by unions and parental notification before a child has an abortion.

Saint Roberts Church Library

Spiritual Reading will be available at St. Robert’s after the Masses on Sundays. Please, take a few minutes either before or after Mass and check out a book or two that interest you. You may keep the books until you have them read. We have some books on the Library cart but we have many more in the Library/Reconciliation room.