Today is the first of four Sundays designed to call us to a fuller Christian experience by pointing out all that the parish and the Church do for each one of us or could do for us. These four weekends will also show how each of us can become more involved in the lives of others and in the mission of the Church by increasing our involvement with the parish. Our goal is to make our parish a stronger force in the community and in our own lives by enhancing the spiritual life of each person. Our first week focuses on accepting God's love and generosity.

Our Church, from the beginning days in Jerusalem following the death and resurrection of Jesus, has called upon its members to acknowledge that all creation is a gift to us from God. We recognize God as the giver of life and the source of all that we are and all we possess. We are responsible to use our gifts of faith, time, talent and treasure that God has entrusted to us in ways that demonstrate our gratitude. We come together to support each other as we live our daily lives and put our faith into practice. We live our faith as disciples of Christ in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Each of us has something to offer the community as we strive to follow Jesus’ teaching together.

To live as a Christian is an expression of mature discipleship. It is a conscious decision, carried out in action, to be a follower of Jesus despite the cost. This action has the power to change how we understand our lives. This is Christian Stewardship.

Our parish ministry faire takes place after all the Masses this weekend. Visit the tables outside of Church to see all that is happening at Saint Robert’s. During the four weeks of reflection each parishioner will be given an opportunity to re-evaluate their existing commitment to the parish in hopes that people will contribute more of their time, talent, personality, creativity, spirituality and treasure.

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)

St. Roberts in cooperation with the Archdiocese of San Francisco will be offering a two-hour seminar to help parents and guardians of children ages 4 – 14 work with their children to help ensure a safer environment for them.

Parents and guardians, no children please, are invited to a sexual abuse prevention and education program customized by the KidWISE Institute for the Catholic parishes The program is Out of Harm’s Way, a facilitator-led, video-based workshop for parents.

At the entrances of the church you will also find flyers for our Women’s annual retreat day on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Mercy Center. Please fill out the form, drop it in the collection basket, bring it to the rectory or the school or give it to me, Sr. Sheral. Women of all ages are invited! We have to confirm our numbers in advance, so I need your reservation.

Bishops Endorsement

The Adult Choir that sings at the 9 30 a.m. Mass is back from their summer vacation, and has been rehearsing on Wednesday nights from 7-9 p.m. We are seeking new members to come join us. You don’t need to be a ‘professional’ singer, but simply someone who enjoys singing and has a willingness to praise God in song.

We are going to be rehearsing music for Advent and Christmas soon, and would love to invite new members to help us make these seasons truly joyous! On Sunday, we gather at 9 a.m. to warm-up prior to the 9:30 a.m. Mass. Although we would welcome you to join us throughout the year, if you can not make that commitment, we would be happy for you to sing for Nov. and Dec. in preparation for Christmas. The Adult Choir will sing some beautiful and festive music at the midnight mass.

If you play an instrument, we would also like to invite you to come join us. We are always looking for instrumentalists to help accompanying the choir. There are opportunities to play for the Christmas liturgies as well as masses throughout the year. We will also need ringers to ring bells during the Advent and Christmas seasons.

We are also planning a party of all the music ministers, choir members and cantors to be held on Sunday, October 30th, following the 11:30 a.m. Mass in Hennessy Hall. This will be a chance to get together with all music volunteers who serve at the Saturday and Sunday liturgies. We are also extending an invitation to all those who might be interested in singing with any of the choirs. Please join us for good food and fellowship, and maybe some singing!

As a Parish Community

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 places 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.

Our food supply shed is getting bare!

Items needed to replenish our food supply are :spaghetti, and sauce, canned vegetables, etc, etc, etc. Items may be taken to the rectory on weekdays or left in the vestibule of church before Mass on the weekends.

Cut to the Chase!
Today’s readings are a wonderful example of how they were always addressed to a specific community at a specific time and are always addressed to us in our day and age. The gospel passage we hear today makes it clear that Jesus asks only two things of his early followers and of us: “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.” And “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. “ Jesus equates the whole law and the prophets with these two commandments. I have a Greek-English New Testament from my summers at USF and the word in Greek for love in both of these sentences is the same! So it’s the same type of love we are to have for our neighbor that we have for our God.

And in case we don’t know who our neighbor is, the Exodus reading of God’s instruction to Moses makes that clear: the alien (the undocumented, we might say), the widow, the orphan, the poor. And why should we treat these people justly? Because they (and we) were once aliens ourselves. And, though it may be low on the scale of reasons for obedience, because our God hears the cry of the poor and will punish us if we don’t treat his beloved poor with the compassion he has for them. A children’s liturgical planning book by Gerard Pottebaum suggests the following questions for youngsters: How can I show friendship to foreigners and strangers where I live? How can I love the poor as God does? What do I need to do to love God with all my heart, soul and mind? What can I do to love myself without being selfish? Good questions for us adults, I daresay. You might want to copy the two commandments or these questions and put them up on your bathroom mirror or on your refrigerator as a reminder. Without getting scrupulous about it, ask yourself at the end of the day: How loving was I towards God today? Towards my neighbor? Loving is a habit as well as a decision, so it will take us lots of practice!

“Medicine always places itself at the service of life. Even when it knows it cannot defeat a serious pathology, it dedicates its own capabilities to alleviating suffering. To work with passion to help the patient in ever situation means to be aware of the inalienable dignity of every human being, even those in the extreme conditions of a terminal state.”

Come and Enjoy a trip sponsored by the Fil/Am group. A scenic drive to RENO and CARSON CITY November 12th -13th. For more information call Adelaida Gallagher or Rose Benavente.

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.