Halloween, or all hallows (saints) eve, is a controversial subject for some Christians, but shouldn’t be.  Although appropriated by secular culture and imputed to have nefarious origins, the name is of Catholic origins.  A contraction of “Hallows” an old English word for “holy ones”  and “eve” or evening.  It is hallowed, as in “Hallowed be Thy Name”, or holy because it is the eve of the Feast of All Saints, or holy ones, which used to be called All Hallows. Like other eves, or vigils, such as Christmas Eve and Easter Eve (Vigil), the Church’s celebration of her greatest feasts always begins the evening before with a time of penitential preparation but also a little fun.

All Hallow’s Eve is meant to be a time for us to think about all the holy souls who are now citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem and to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Feast of that city. Let’s reclaim Hallowe’en by repairing the broken link to its Christian meaning and significance.

We hope you will join us on Monday, October 31st for an All Saints’ Eve Celebration at Sacred Heart of Jesus. There will be an anticipated Mass for the Holy Day at 5:30pm followed by a celebration of a potluck dinner, games, candy, and prizes.  All, children, teens and adults, are invited to come dressed as a favorite Saint and compete for prizes for the most authentic costumes.  Everyone dress as a Saint will leave with a bag of candy!

RSVP will be available soon!

• Candy donations – Please drop off to the rectory by October 30th
• Sign up to Volunteer!

In honor of the Feast of St. Francis Assisi, we will host a Blessing of the Pets this Tuesday, October 4th at 3:30pm on the steps of the church. Academy families wishing to participate should follow normal dismissal procedure, park, and walk over with your children and pets for the blessing. We look forward to seeing you and your cats, dogs, chickens, and goats!

Ignatian Prayer Group now forming for this fall. Learn to pray with the Scriptures and to listen to God’s voice in your life and how He is leading you. Commit to a half hour of prayer a day and meeting once a week.

Group will meet for 9 weeks beginning September 29 to November 24 on Thursday mornings at 9:15.

Please call or email parishoffice@shgr.org and ask for Annie Connette’s contact information.

An Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College information session will be hosted by Elliott & Emma Warner on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7:00 pm at their home in Lowell. Located in the beautiful Ottawa Valley, Canada, Seat of Wisdom is a faithfully Catholic, academically excellent Liberal Arts college that offers a three-year Bachelor of Catholic Studies degree. Elliott and Emma, both alumni of the college, will be sharing their experiences and answering questions. Parents and interested high schoolers are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to ejwarner@protonmail.com by Sept 25 as space is limited.

Our next Baptism Class is coming up on September 22 at 6:00pm in Cebelak Hall. If you are expecting your first child and would like to have he or she baptized at Sacred Heart, please email the parish office at parishoffice@shgr.org to register for this class.

The Partners in Formation program is a means for parents, as the primary educators of their children, to deepen their understanding of the academy’s philosophy and practice of providing integral Christian formation and enculturation into the Western intellectual tradition. We offer these opportunities for parents themselves to grow in their understanding of classical education and grow in their Catholic Faith.

• Fall Tuesday Seminars begin as an  “Introduction to Classical Education” every Tuesday afternoon at 2:05pm in room 208 beginning on September 13. Open to all parents and staff.
• Fall Semester Series “The Human Person”  on the following Wednesdays from 7pm-9pm
  • September 21st – Christian Anthropology
  • October 19th – The Feminine Genius
  • November 16th – Authentic Masculinit

Parishioners and outside families are welcome to attend both the monthly and weekly programs. All attendees (including parents) should sign into the office for the weekly sessions.