13 November 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the kingdom of God. 

Christ Jesus - you are the beloved son of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us God’s love. 

Priest: God’s love encourages us and brings us new life. Let us now present our prayers before our heavenly Father: 

1. For Pope Leo XIV, our Church leaders, and our governmental leaders. May their faith bring them wisdom and courage in their leadership roles. 

2. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed in this month of remembrance. For those grieving over the loss of a family member, that they may be consoled. For the names written in our book of remembrance. 

3. That we may continue to grow in our love for and appreciation of the Eucharist. That we may grow in our love of God’s holy word.  

4. For our program of religious education at our parish. May all our children, youth, and adults be active in learning more about their faith. For our Search evangelization program. 

5. For the sick and the afflicted. For their families and care givers. For our medical professionals.  

6. For those caught up in a cycle of anger and violence. May God break the chains that bind them. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: God of endless love, in the shadow of your wings we find refuge. Hear the prayers we humbly make, through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever.  AMEN.  

13 November 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the kingdom of God. 

Christ Jesus - you are the beloved son of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us God’s love. 

Priest: God’s love encourages us and brings us new life. Let us now present our prayers before our heavenly Father: 

1. For Pope Leo XIV, our Church leaders, and our governmental leaders. May their faith bring them wisdom and courage in their leadership roles. 

2. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed in this month of remembrance. For those grieving over the loss of a family member, that they may be consoled. For the names written in our book of remembrance. 

3. That we may continue to grow in our love for and appreciation of the Eucharist. That we may grow in our love of God’s holy word.  

4. For our program of religious education at our parish. May all our children, youth, and adults be active in learning more about their faith. For our Search evangelization program. 

5. For the sick and the afflicted. For their families and care givers. For our medical professionals.  

6. For those caught up in a cycle of anger and violence. May God break the chains that bind them. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: God of endless love, in the shadow of your wings we find refuge. Hear the prayers we humbly make, through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever.  AMEN.  

12 November 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time

Priest: With joy in our hearts, we now present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. That we in the Church may take up our crosses and follow Jesus. 

2. For the grace of humility. May we live more like Christ each day. 

3. For a greater appreciation of the Sabbath. May we give God honor on the day of the Lord. 

4. May we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into a more authentic and virtuous life. 

5. May God inspire our world leaders to find new ways to reconcile and to resolve disputes. 

6. For all who are traveling. May God keep them safe. 

7. For the faithful departed. For the names inscribed in our book of remembrance. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today. 

Priest: Heavenly Father, we present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

12 November 2026 - St Josaphat - homily for Thursday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time - Philemon 7-20

St Josaphat is the saint we celebrate today.  He was a bishop in present-day Belarus in the early 17th century.  He was killed by an angry mob because he was advocating that his community of Christians, who were Ruthenians and who were a part of the Orthodox Church, be joined in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. We think of the division that characters the world today and that characterizes Christianity in so many way.  When the Roman empire was split into the East and the West in the 4th century, it foreshadowed the split was to come in the Church the 11th century, when a schism split the Church in the year 1054. There have been signs of reconciliation and friendship in recent years between the Churches in the East and the West, but, unfortunately, Christianity remains very divided today. 

The last two days, we heard from the letter of St Paul to Titus. Today, we hear from the letter of St Paul to Philemon, which is so short that it is not even organized into chapters. St Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison himself, probably in Rome.  But Paul is not interested in his own safety and well-being and release from prison. Instead, St Paul is interested in the welfare of the runaway slave Onesimus, who was returning to his owner, Philemon. The faith journey St Paul is so interesting and filled with so many striking contrasts. He started out as a prosecutor of Christian, pursuing them to be arrested or killed. After his conversion to the way of Jesus, he works tirelessly to spread the Gospel message to the world, even willing to go to prison for the sake of the Gospel. When I was in Rome a few years ago at the Basilica of St Paul just outside the walls of the ancient city of Rome, I even got to see a piece of the chains that enslaved Paul when he was in prison. Paul wrote to so many different Christian communities as their spiritual father, one who spent so much time nurturing them in the faith. He even calls Onesimus his spiritual son in the faith, his own very heart. May the zeal and tenacity that characterizes Paul journey of faith inspire us to live out the Gospel message in the ordinary moments of our day. 

11 November 2026 - Wednesday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time - Titus 3:1-7 - St Maria Vincenza Poloni

Today, we celebrate the feast day of St Martin of Tours and Sister Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy who had a very big presence both in Mississippi and in Ireland. However, I would like to speak about a rather new saint that was canonized under Pope Leo XIV.  Luigia Poloni was born in 1802 in Verona, Italy. She was the youngest of twelve siblings. Following in the footsteps of her father, who had a great love for the poor, she met Blessed Charles Steeb, a German-born priest who served in Verona. Together, they worked with the elderly, the poor, and the chronically ill. In 1836, she worked to heal victims of a cholera epidemic. In all her service, she had a devout life of prayer. In 1848, with Father Charles Steeb, she founded the Sisters of Mercy of Verona and took Maria Vincenza as her name in religion.  Her motto, “Serving Christ in the Poor,” became the cornerstone of this new congregation. She died 1855 from cancer and was buried in the municipal cemetery of Verona. The congregation that she and Father Steeb established grew outside of Verona and expanded to other nations, including Portugal and Tanzania. She was beatified in 2008 and was canonized under Pope Leo XIV. 

Our first reading today is from the New Testament letter of St Paul to Titus, which was written around the years 62-68 AD. St Paul wrote to his companion Titus, whom he left on the island of Crete, a place that was infamous for challenges such as greed, violence, and sexual immorality. Titus was charged with organizing house church on the island and preaching the values of the Christian faith to these inhabitants. Titus was a gifted Gentile believer in the faith who was a peacemaker and who had been on other mission trips with St Paul. Paul called the people to a transformation from their past inequities, to have hearts that are open to God’s mercy, grace, peace, and forgiveness, to place their hope in the promise of eternal life with God. This theme of St Paul’s letter to Titus calls us to transcend the anger and frustration that often characterizes our lives in the modern world to the transformation and new life that God offers us.  

11 November 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Wednesday of the 32nd week in Ordinary time

Lord Jesus - you call us to God’s wisdom. 

Christ Jesus - you hear the cry of the poor. 

Lord Jesus - you bring hope to the world. 

Priest: As we unite our prayers with Mary and the community of saints today, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. That the Holy Spirit enliven the Church. May we love without expectations. May we hope without limits. 

2. That the different religions of the world may work together to be good stewards of the earth and our natural resources. 

3. That we reach out to the hungry, the poor and the alienated. May we serve them in dignity and respect. 

4. For world leaders and governments. May their vision seek to bring peace and hope to all people. 

5. For a greater respect for human life. May every person deeply honor and appreciate the gift of life from conception to natural death.

6. For the faithful departed. For the names enrolled in our book of remembrance during this month of remembrance. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: With faith and hope, we present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

10 November 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Tuesday of the 32nd week of Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you call us to be missionary in spirit. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to bring your Gospel message to the world. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to be your disciples. 

Priest: In unity with the prayers of the Blessed Mother and the community of saints, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. We pray for the sick and the afflicted. For the dying and the grieving. For those struggling with mental health issues and addictions. 

2. That all of us would help each other on our journey of faith, supporting each other’s hopes and dreams. 

3. We pray for our children, college students and youth. For their studies and their school activities. 

4. For the names written in our book of remembrance. We pray for all the faithful departed during this month of remembrance. 

5. That we would grow as a community as the Body of Christ in our love and devotion to the Eucharist. 

6. That we would bring hope to the world through living out our faith each day. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today. 

Priest: With faith and trust, we present these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.