News
26 October 2020
Bishop’s messages
Vocation Awareness Week Nov. 1-6
National Vocations Awareness Week is Nov. 1-6! Priests received resources during the Priests Institute on how to encourage vocations during that week. Starting on All Saints Day provides a great opportunity to remind our parishioners that every one of us has a call to holiness, to become saints, and our vocations allow us to live out that relationship. If you did not receive a resource page, please contact Father Paul Clark at vocations@diojeffcity.org. The page also includes petition ideas and bulletin blurbs.
Catholic Stewardship Appeal 2021
Parishioners have received in the mail information on the Catholic Stewardship Appeal 2021. The brochure (English and Spanish versions), poster, logo, bulletin inserts, Mass announcements, and prayer intentions may be found at www.diojeffcity.org/csa. The gold “Donate Now” button resides at the top right corner of every page on the website –www.diojeffcity.org. Should you have any questions or need additional materials, please contact the Development Office at development@diojeffcity.org or call the chancery.
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship continues to present to the Catholic faithful, and all those of good will, an up-to-date guide to help form consciences as they participate in the civil order and public life. You can obtain a copy here or order copies for your parish here. No bishop, priest, deacon, religious or lay ecclesial minister shall endorse or oppose a candidate in the name of the Church. Instead, we must assist the faithful to approach the election with a fully formed conscience. My full statement on this is online and is in the Oct. 2 issue of The Catholic Missourian. The diocese is providing social media graphics and messages on its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts related to the election process which can be shared on parish and school accounts. For more information, please email us at communication@diojeffcity.org.
Bishop McKnight’s letter in pdf
MCC offers podcast series
This year the Missouri Catholic Conference canceled its in-person Annual Assembly due to COVID-19. As an alternative, they are offering a podcast series, MCC from the Capitol. MCC executive director Deacon Tyler McClay hosts six great episodes focused on issues of interest and concern to Catholics. You can find the podcasts on their website and Spotify. Below is a description of one of the episodes, addressing the election cycle.
Civilize It: A Call for Civility in the Era of Outrage
Our political discourse has become increasingly rancorous and bitter. Spend any time on social media or watching the news, and it is apparent that we are living in an era of outrage. The U.S. bishops began a campaign last year to restore civility to our public and political discourse called Civilize It: Dignity Beyond the Debate. Join the Missouri Catholic Conference staff and newly-appointed Archbishop of St. Louis Mitchell Rozanski as they discuss civility and how it can lead to more respectful dialogue as we enter the remaining weeks of the 2020 election season in a podcast you can find at https://mocatholic.org/news-and-events/mcc-podcast.
Vocation Advocates needed
The Vocation Office is creating an Advocate Network to improve our efforts in promoting priestly vocations in our diocese. Each pastor is asked to submit the contact information of a lay person from his parish no later than Nov. 1 by asking his appointee to complete the form at https://diojeffcity.org/vocations/. The parish Vocation Advocate should be someone who can work with the pastor and who communicates and works well with others. A knowledge of technology is appreciated, as many materials will require postings online or in the bulletin; however, we will be having a training meeting with the advocates, so they will be taught necessary skills.
Priest Appreciation Raffle winner
St. Andrew Holts Summit canceled their annual Priest Appreciation Dinner this year. They still held a raffle and are offering a mass for the priests of the Diocese on January 2, 2021. Dorothy Tighe, the founder of St. Andrew Holts Summit 50+ Club, drew the ticket for this year’s raffle and the winner is Fr. Bill Peckman. Congratulations!
Podcasts on pastoral music
The local chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) is offering a series of podcasts from their national convention. To obtain the Zoom link, contact Laura St. Clair. The sessions are 7-9 pm and the remaining schedule is:
- 10/28: Hannah Crews, ” Out of the Mouths of Babes: Reach Us Speaking Our Language” (youth)
- 11/04: Steve Angrisano, “Chant For the Contemporary Musician”
- 11/11: ValLimar Jackson, “God’s Gonna Trouble the Water: The Healing Power of Music”
Abiding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, the use of face masks upon entering the church, during the celebration of Mass except when in place in the pew, during the Communion procession, and upon leaving the church is required. If social distancing cannot be maintained in the pew, then the wearing of face masks is obligatory even in the pew. For more resources, visit https://diojeffcity.org/public-health/.
If you intend to come to the Chancery office in person, you must have an appointment in advance with the person you intend to meet. Please note the Chancery will be screening all guests with a health questionnaire and temperature check. This is for the safety of all.
Share in bulletins, emails, social media, and websites
Forty Days for Life
Forty Days for Life
More than 300 babies saved from abortion as 588 cities pray. At Columbia Planned Parenthood, 711 N Providence Rd, four hopefuls have been given help to make another choice besides abortion. The team invites you to spend an hour with Jesus these 40 days ending on Sunday, Nov. 1. Prayer hour 8 am to 6 pm daily – team member to greet you. Closing rally chicken dinner by KOC 8400, Nov. 14 at St Andrew in Holts Summit. Speaker Stephanie Jacobson. Silent Auction. Doors open 6 pm, dinner at 7 pm. RSVP to Kathy Forck 573-821-5130. You can schedule your time by visiting www.40daysforlife.com/columbiamo.
Jefferson City Marriage Encounter will be hosting a COVID friendly Marriage Encounter weekend November 7 & 8. Fall in love with your spouse all over again and rejuvenate your marriage with a weekend away to grow closer together and with God. Register for the event at www.jeffcityme.com.
Employment opportunities
Two administrative assistant positions are available at the Chancery and there are several openings in our Catholic schools. Please promote these openings.
Parishes are asked to use this form to send any updates of their parishioners: address changes, marriages, divorces, death, etc.
- As of April 27, the Chancery is no longer using PO Box 104900. Please address all correspondence to the street address 2207 W. Main, Jefferson City, MO 65109. The Post Office will forward mail from the PO box to the street address for up to one year, but the forwarding process will slow your delivery. Please begin using the street address immediately.
- Parishes are asked to publish in their bulletins the need for relief parents at St. Nicholas Academy. You can find the listing here.
- Please consider posting this helpful information for your parishioners on how to identify email and text scams.
- In the interest of time and accuracy, The Catholic Missourian has moved to a simple online process for submitting events for the Things to Do page. To have an event considered for publication in Things to Do and in the diocesan online events calendar, go to diojeffcity.org/event-listing and follow the directions. The process is straightforward and user-friendly. Events submitted for display advertising will be automatically included in Things to Do, as will items that have been previously submitted.
Preventing text and email scams
A scam has hit many parishes across the United States, as well as other faith communities. The Federal Trade Commission provided information on this scam in July 2019. The email or text purports to be from a person the target knows, such as one’s pastor, a parish staff member, the bishop or someone else from the Church. If the target responds to the fake email or text, the sender will follow up with a request for some sort of monetary assistance, often for gift cards, Google Play cards or iTune cards. Please read our post to learn how to prevent yourself or parishioners from falling prey to this scam.
Please feel free to disseminate the information in the “Monday Morning Memo” to a broader audience, such as parishioners and school families! Is there someone else who should receive this Weekly Memo? Please encourage them to sign up here!