Fr. Hien's Weekly Letter 10/31/21

My Dear Parishioners of All Saints,
     Blessings from our God be with you all.  Please know that all the saints in heaven are praying for us until we are all in heaven with God.  We give thanks to God for the unconditional love of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the holy martyrs and saints.  May we live daily with them praising God.
     I was glad that all the priests of the diocese with our bishop were together last week for the first time since the pandemic started.  Yes, we were socializing, learning, and especially worshiping at Holy Mass.  We needed our time together to encourage and to support each other in our difficult and challenging ministries.  The pandemic distanced us from one another and created much stress for all priests, many of whom were sick with covid and are still suffering from it.  The saddest part of our time together was during our last Mass.  We remembered our seven brother priests who passed to eternal life in 2020.  Personally, I knew them all because I have been in the diocese with them for over 36 years.  We prayed for each one of them by name with the words “eternal life grant onto him, oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.” 
     My dear parishioners, please live daily for God and for the salvation of one another.  In this month of November, we’re to remember all those who have died among our families, friends, and from our church family at All Saints, especially in every Mass.  You might want to attend an extra Mass, such as a daily Mass for a deceased person you loved.  If you wish, you may write their names in the Book of Remembrance, available in the foyer.  You can also have Masses said for them.  All Souls Mass envelopes are available in the pews.  All the names in the Book of Remembrance and in these envelopes will be prayed for at every Mass in November.  100 percent of your donations in these envelopes will go to our building fund for the necessary maintenance of our buildings. 
     Finally, due to All Saints Day falling on a Monday this year, it’s not obligated; however, we will have an optional bi-lingual Mass at 6:30pm.  The Vietnamese choir will sing; the readings will be in Vietnamese, everything else will be in English.  Remember that God reads the hearts and not the lips.  All Saints, pray for us, your parishioners---Fr. Hien