Dear parishioners,
On Monday, October 28th, Archbishop Schnurr promulgated a letter informing us that Girl Scouts will no longer be allowed to participate in our Archdiocesan ministries or use our facilities. This is due to their leaderships continued growth as an advocacy organization grooming our youth in values contrary to our Catholic beliefs. Through some of their activities, resources, badges and awards, Girl Scouts – including the local chapter, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio – has contributed to normalizing a sexual and gender ideology contrary to the Catholic understanding of the human person made male and female in the image and likeness of God. Consequently, by the end of calendar year 2025, every Girl Scout troop currently operating on any Catholic campus must: (1) convert to an American Heritage Girls troop; (2) find another location at which to meet; (3) disband. This is so disappointing for so many of us as the Girl Scouts have had such a great history in our area for many decades, but this has been a long time coming. The Archbishop’s letter will be posted on our websites. Please read it.
On a more positive note, we have five wonderful names for our family to vote on. It is going to be hard to choose. Marian images were by far the most recommended in our surveys, so we have two images of Mary as Mother of God and as Seat of Wisdom.
Like most of us, I will be glad when the elections are over. Regardless of the winners, as a country, we need to get back to a level of civility where people can share perspectives, dialogue and disagree with each other without holding each other in contempt. In this, I am reminded of John Adams’ famous observation, addressing the Massachusetts Milita in 1798, “Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” May our nation return to Christ.
November is a month we especially dedicate to praying for our loved ones who have gone before us. We will have a Book of Remembrance, in the primary gathering space at all our campuses, in which we can inscribe the names of loved ones who have passed. We will be praying for those inscribed in our Books of Remembrance regularly throughout November. I pray a Litany for all the Dead daily in November.
We conclude November with Thanksgiving Day, a time to count our blessings. In November of last year, I did a litany of reasons I had to be thankful, and that list has grown significantly throughout 2024. Even with all the struggles we deal with, in Christ it is all good and getting better.
Prayers and blessings,
Fr. Tom Nevels
