Text Box: OCTOBER – MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY The month of October is dedicated to Mary under the name of the Most Holy Rosary; October 7 is celebrated as the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. In the 15th & 16th centuries, there were extensive promotions of devotion to the Rosary. On October 7, 1571, Christians won an important naval battle against the Moslem Turks at Lepanto (near Greece). The credit for the victory was thought to be the rosary. Pius V ordered that the annual anniversary of this victory be celebrated with a Marian feast of Our Lady of Victory. In 1573, Holy Father Gregory XIII permitted churches to celebrate a feast of the Holy Rosary. After another victory against the Moslem Turks in 1716, Clement XI extended the feast to the universal church. RESPECT FOR LIFE MONTH The month of October is dedicated to respect for life. Former Holy Father John Paul II, in his post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Ecclesia in America” on January 22, 1999, wrote: "Nowadays, in America as elsewhere in the world, a model of society appears to be emerging in which the powerful predominate, setting aside and even eliminating the powerless: I am thinking here of unborn children, helpless victims of abortion; the elderly and incurably ill, subjected at times to euthanasia; and the many other people relegated to the margins of society by consumerism and materialism. Nor can I fail to mention the unnecessary recourse to the death penalty when other “bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons. Today, given the means at the State's disposal to deal with crime and control those who commit it, without abandoning all hope of their redemption, the cases where it is absolutely necessary to do away with an offender 'are now very rare, even non-existent practically'”. This model of society bears the stamp of the culture of death, and is therefore in opposition to the Gospel message. Faced with this distressing reality, the Church community intends to commit itself all the more to the defense of the culture of life." FEAST OF ALL SAINTS, SUNDAY, NOV.1 Mark your calendars for the 16th annual party to celebrate All Saints. We will begin the party after the last Mass with a procession from the church courtyard to the hall as we recite the Litany of the Saints Everyone come dressed up as your favorite saint for our traditional· “Can you guess my saint?” game. Remember to keep your saint a secret! There will be prizes for the best costumes. We will have a pot-luck dinner and saint related game booths with prizes. Start planning now, but keep which saint you will be a secret!! Look for more information in the bulletin in the weeks to come! DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS – Oct. 31 - Nov. 1. - Please turn your clocks back 1 hour (1 hour more of sleeping on that night) RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES for Children & Young Adults Thank you to all who have registered your children for Catechism Classes for the 2009-2010 school year. Catechism classes have resumed on September 13; classes meet from 9:30 to 10:25, with exception to Pre-1st Communion which meets 9:30-10:00. If you intend to have your child receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion or Confirmation in the coming year of 2010, you must enroll your child as soon as possible. Registration forms for all our classes, including sacramental preparation classes for First Holy Text Box: Communion, First Confessions and Confirmation are located in the vestibule of the church. Please contact the parish office for more information at 510.482.0596 or stmargaretm@yahoo.com Classes Offered Pre-First Communion First Confession & First Holy Communion Post First Communion Pre-Confirmation (9 – 12 yrs.) Confirmation (must be entering 8th grade or older) Enrollment for these classes has been favorable. If needed, another class may open up. If you are a parent that is interested in helping with the CCD program, please contact the parish office or indicate on the provided space on the CCD registration form. OUR PARISH BULLETIN Additional advertising support is needed to cover expenses of printing our Parish Bulletin. Now we have 8 pages every week. If you are a business owner, or know of someone who might wish to place an add in our BULLETIN PUBLICATION, please send them an e-mail: mpublications@sbcglobal.net; or call at: 888-253-4358. Please patronize our advertisers. ST. ANNE’S GUILD CORNER: Scheduled upcoming events, please mark your calendars! Sunday October 18; St. Margaret Mary Feast Day Dinner - @ 2 pm. Wednesday, November 4 - Guild meeting. Wednesday, December 2 - Guild meeting. Sunday, December 13 - Gaudete Bake Sale and Boutique after all Masses. THANK YOU Thank you to everyone that helped make our Harvest Bake Sale & Boutique a wonderful success. We are greatly indebted to Kathleen York, Gail Dombrowski and Linda Fealy for their organization and execution of this very delicious event. All proceeds go to the wonderful altar flowers we enjoy so much. The Second Annual Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: Poulet a la BBQ & Potluck is scheduled for this Sunday, October 18 at 2pm. Tickets may be purchased after all Masses for $15 per family and $8 per single ticket. If your name begins with A-P, please bring a French-inspired side dish or salad, and last names beginning with O-Z please bring a French-inspired dessert. In honor of our patroness we will have French food, wine, music and games for the children. Please contact Sara Cumbelich if you can help with selling tickets, decor, set up and clean up - sarakach@gmail.com or 510-655-9088. Additionally, the St. Anne's Guild will be co-hosting a special presentation of the life of Saint Damien on Wednesday, October 21 in our Father Kozina Hall. Canon Moreau has arranged to bring this performance to our parish - the Institute will provide wine and cheese after 6pm Mass and the Guild will provide dessert and coffee after the performance. This is a family event and tickets will be sold after all Masses during this weekend. Please save the date!