Every time we come into our beautiful church in the month of November, we are reminded that the whole month of November is the month of All Souls. November is a time (in our part of the world) where we see the leaves falling after changing colors which can speak to us of the reality of death. Some of the scripture readings that are proclaimed at the Sunday Masses tell us that Jesus is coming again at the end of time in his glory and if that "time" is beyond our earthly existence, then he will come to us when our journey in this life is over. We also see the envelopes on the altar with the names of deceased loved ones and the "Memorial Table" with the Easter Candle lit beside it during Mass has images of those we wish to lift up to the Lord who have left us in body to be with the Lord. Though in EVERY Mass that is celebrated throughout the year, we pray for the dead at least once (toward the end of the Eucharistic Prayer), at the beginning of this month, as you know, we celebrated All Souls Day not only with a special Mass, but also with visits to our cemetery and columbarium garden. There we offered special prayers for those who are interred in those places. This year I was blessed to lead prayers at our columbarium garden, at Cedarvale Cemetery and at a con-celebrated Mass at the Catholic cemetery in Hot Springs, (Calvary) where I personally know more than a few of those buried there including priests, nuns and my own father. I believe I started a tradition here a number of years ago of taking time after general prayers are offered for all in their places of rest to go to the individual places of loved ones of those who have joined me for the prayers and pray an individual prayer for their loved one and sprinkle the site with holy water. I'm impressed that most of those who join me will walk around even in Cedarvale which is so spread out, to pray for each other's loved ones until all have had prayers prayed for them. This is a wonderful sign of our connection with each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord in life and in death, and we pray, one day in everlasting glory. I hope I will remember to remind all of you of this tradition and encourage you to join us not only for the Mass, but also if you have loved ones in the places I spoke of in Hot Springs Village to join me there. All Souls Day (in a special way) and the month of November offer us the special opportunity to pray for our deceased loved ones that they will benefit from our prayers for them (if they need it) for their purification before seeing God face to face. Hopefully our loved ones and our brothers and sisters in the Lord will do the same for us one day. Also, consider (if you don't already,) joining your fellow parishioners in asking that your deceased loved ones receive the benefits of Masses that are offered specifically for them throughout the year. Just drop by the office or call the office with your request. You are encouraged, but not required, to give the priest who offers the Mass a stipend of at least $10. Mass cards can be given to you to send to family members of the deceased.

It is not unusual when going to the polls to vote (which I hope and pray you have done or will do this Tuesday and every election), to find some candidates names on the ballot who are unopposed for the office they are seeking. Odd, however it would be, to find an office that needs a person to fill it and see under that office something that says "no candidates". Given the sad realities in political life in general, it shouldn't come as a surprise that fewer people want to "serve" their country in elected office and perhaps even fewer who are truly doing so with an altruistic mentality. I hope such is not the case when it comes elected offices in a parish such as ours. It is indeed a blessing in the years since Vatican Council II that the Church established parish councils to assist and advise pastors when it comes to all the activities and ministries that are going on in a parish. I know there are more than a few of you who are reading this pastor's column who have been elected and served in this capacity in this or in other parishes in the past. It is valuable and appreciated for the pastor and parish to have people who want to serve the Lord in this and/or in other ways. Efforts here at Sacred Heart Parish through word of mouth and personal invitation have resulted in two people running for parish council in the ministry of religious education, one in liturgy and social justice, and none in parish life. As you can tell, we are not ready yet for an election to fill four and maybe five positions on the parish council. While asking all our parihioners to pray that potential candidates will see this (and the insert in the bulletin) and step forward SOON, I also hope and pray that some  of you will consider offering yourself in service to your parish in this important way. Any of the current parish council members can tell you personally about what their commission does. Their names and phone numbers are below the descriptions of what each commission does. By now, I hope at least some of you are wondering about the commitment involved if you offer yourselves to be on the ballot in the near future to serve, if elected by your fellow parishioners to serve on the Sacred Heart Parish Council. First of all, it is a two year commitment to serve on the council (which meets six times a year, every other month). The same COULD BE the case for your time on one of the four commissions, each of which meets six time a year, usually on the months that the parish council does not meet. I said "could be" because a person who goes off the parish council can choose to remain a member of that commission for as long as they want to do so. Serving on the parish council and simultaneously on one of our commissions helps a person;

1)  to get to know more people in the parish
2)  come to know more about the parish beyond the celebration of Mass
3)  provides forums for a person to give input that can be valuable to me an your fellow parishioners as       we work to to reach a consensus on a variety of issues

Whether you have served the Lord and a parish in this way in the past OR NOT, we need you to help fill out the ballot (as a candidate) and bless our parish with your time and talent AND be blessed by the Lord in countless ways for your efforts. Call me (501-209-2502) or Barb Potter (501-762-3103) to find out more and/or to say "Yes, I want to serve."

I have decided to do a follow-up to the statement of Archbishop Lori "Building a Culture of Life in a Post Roe v Wade World" which I presented in place of my homily the weekend of October 15/16. First of all, I urge all of you to "Google" "Archbishop Lori/pro-life and read and reflect on the statement yourself. I offer some reflections today in this pastor's column. Archbishop Lori not only indicated that our country (thankfully) has recently undergone a paradigm shift with regard to federal law with the recent Supreme Court decision (Dobbs) that now gives legal protection to the most innocent and vulnerable human beings, the child in the mother's womb!! The challenge, however, remains not only in the states which, unfortunately, can enact (and some have already enacted) legislation that does not protect the right to life of the unborn child, but also, and really firstly, in the hearts of men and women that they will be led (and our younger people formed) in a basic mentality "that we belong to one another" (St. Teresa of Calcutta). That "we" is every human being created in the image and likeness of God, INCLUDING the person in a mother's womb. The key word is "solidarity" between mother and child and the network that includes the father, the extended family as well as neighbors and fellow citizens. In a post-Roe world (according to Archbishop Lori) we need to undergo a deeper paradigm shift that the late Pope (now Saint) John Paul II described as a radical solidarity which makes the  good of others our own good!! This means proclaiming and living the truth that abortion firstly kills a pre-born child AND also wounds woment and men, families and our nation as a whole. The Gospel call to love and compassion should not only reach out to bring healing, but also lead us in encounters with those who do not see the truth in its fullness. (I'll speak more of this hopefully in the next pastor's column) Those agencies and ministries that are focused on helping and even walking with pregnant women and mother and child after the baby is born, need our continued and even greater support! This includes adoptive services that seek to help a mother who is ill-equipped in more than a few ways to raise a child to give their child to a husband and wife who can raise the child in a loving and functional home. While much of Archbishop Lori's statement seems directed at the "dangers" of a society that does not promote a culture of life starting with the unborn child and families, he also is saying that this loving, compassionate, mind and heart must reach out to support and protect people at all stages of life, including as people grow older and their health of mind and/or body starts to deteriorate. The promotion of "mercy killing" (euthanasia) and even assisted suicide in minds, hearts and even laws  must change for the good of our society and firstly for all its precious people until their natural death! (I plan to write more about this, including hospice care in a future pastor's column).