Safety

My dear friends in Christ,

This column is meant to give some spiritual food for thought as well as some factual information for upcoming events in the parish. Unfortunately, this week the focus is on protecting ourselves. Bishop O’Connell has alerted us that “there is a wave of burglaries and attempted burglaries in our churches and rectories as well as suspicious people hanging around our properties or attempting to make phone contact.” This is very serious. I received a phone call on Tuesday morning around 2:15 AM from a gentleman who gave a heart-wrenching story about a death in the family. It turns out that this man is a noted scam artist who has been a person of interest in some of these cases. Please be aware of your surroundings at all times and PLEASE DO NOT ENGAGE ANYONE BEGGING FOR MONEY IN THE PARKING LOT. We want everyone to be safe and non-confrontational. If you see anything suspicious please call and report it to the Willingboro Police Department. Better safe than sorry. This is becoming an issue for Churches—even Non-Catholic Churches.

This weekend and next weekend the October Mass counts will be taken in all Churches in the Diocese. The purpose is to get accurate totals of the number of people who participate in Masses fulfilling the Sunday obligation. Bring all of your relatives, friends, and neighbors to Mass next week.

Tickets are on sale for the Oktoberfest Beef and Beverage Dinner. Don’t get shut out!

If you would like to purchase or sell another Super 50/50 Raffle book, please stop by the Rectory. This is our big fundraiser for the year.

May God bless you all!
Father John