My nephew said that his first day of school was "awesome".  In his school, he'll be going to school every day.  His parents will drop him off and pick him up.  Most of our young parishioners will experience their first day of school tomorrow.  I talked with a high school student today.  She's concerned about how to connect via the Chromebook she received.  Let's pray that all the virtual learners will figure out how to connect and all the in-school students will enjoy being back in school.

     Our Religious Education classes will begin on Wednesday, September 23rd, and Saturday, September 26th.  Mary Ann Dempkowski is on vacation this week.  We'll work more on getting ready next week.

     Even if we're not enrolled in school, we can still join students by becoming learners ourselves.  My big thing right now is reading the whole Bible.  I started on August 10th at Genesis 1:1.  I'm up to the Gospel of John.  There are so many things I'm noticing now that I never noticed before.  Maybe it has to do with my older age.  Or perhaps, our pandemic and social unrest are prompting me to see verses that apply to our own time.  With so much confusion out there, now is a good time for us to learn.  Here are some suggestions:

     I record EWTN shows on my DVR and watch them during meals and exercise.  I regularly watch The World Over, Pro-Life Weekly, Living Right with Dr. Ray, Franciscan University Presents, and EWTN Live with Fr. Mitch Pacwa.  There are plenty of other good shows, more than I have time to watch.

     For current events, I recommend EWTN News which includes EWTN News Nightly and Pro-Life Weekly.  It also includes a website, ChurchPop.  I read the National Catholic Register, usually on-line.

     For commentary on current events, society, and the Church, I go to Crisis Magazine and The Catholic Thing.

     Some may enjoy Aleteia which focuses more on how to live.

     Others may benefit from CatholicVote.org for political commentary and activity.  Some of you have received mail from CatholicVote recently and asked if they're legit.  I've been paying attention to CatholicVote.org for several years now.  They're not a Church organization, but they're a group of lay faithful who are involved in politics.

     I also follow updates from our Diocese of Trenton on social media.  The USCCB

has a document on voting at Faithful Citizenship.  I regularly refer to their Pro-Life Activities resources.

     The Bible is the best resource.  Second best for us is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

     Join us for Mass on-line on our YouTube channel or in person daily for the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith.  Hopefully, the homily helps us learn more about the readings and God's plan for us.

God love you,

Fr. Jim