November is the month of All Saints and All Souls. Check out this calendar for the Saint of the Day: franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/calendar Click on the name on the date for information about that Saint.

The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7. EWTN has a new page on their website dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, https://www.ewtn.com/ourladyoftherosary.

Scroll down to sign up for a free eBook, Mother Angelica’s Rosary Meditations. You can read the history of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, read the 15 promises of Our Lady, enjoy a video of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and watch a video Rosary for Kids.

“Go to the Madonna. Love her! Always say the Rosary. Say it well. Say it as often as you can! Be souls of prayer. Never tire of praying, it is what is essential. Prayer shakes the Heart of God, it obtains necessary graces!” – St. Padre Pio

Our Lady’s Blue Army is a public association of the faithful devoted to spreading the authentic message of Fatima. Join them for the celebration in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary on the anniversary of the 6th apparition at Fatima. Events begin streaming live at 12 noon. Find links to Facebook, YouTube and on the website at https://www.bluearmy.com/. Follow the Rosary procession, speaker, Holy Mass, Eucharistic procession, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and more.
You can join the Blue Army of Our Lady meetings in the church on Tuesdays after the Noon Mass.

“Relevant Radio” is essentially Catholic podcasting in an app. This is a free app that grants access to all the shows produced by Relevant Radio, available in live streaming or downloadable content. It also includes audio prayers, a Confession “helper,” and Catholic news from around the world. It’s perfect if you’re looking for ways to fill long commutes or travel with something more uplifting. Find the APP or listen at https://relevantradio.com/listen/get-the-app/.

Do you struggle to find dedicated, quiet time in your life? Pray As You Go is available as an App and as a website on your computer. The 15 minute (or less) segments are a perfect way to start your mornings as you drive to work. The music is beautiful and the reflections are encouraging and thoughtful without being too deep for a 6:30 a.m. commute. “Pray As You Go” also offers audio prayers, Imaginative Contemplation Exercises, an audio Rosary & Stations of the Cross, and an audio Examen. The App is free for iOS and Google Play. The website is found at https://pray-as-you-go.org/home/

A fun website for family use can be found at www.catholicplayground.com. You will find coloring pages, dot to dot pages, as well as activities, recipes, crafts, and book reviews. One of my favorite sections is on playing with Legos and retelling stories of our faith.. There is a section dedicated to the saints & feasts celebrated each month. If you recreate any of these projects, send us a photo so we can share your work and inspire other families.

TheCatholicKid.com is a new website launched to provide free printable Catholic coloring pages and games for children. They have Pre-K and Kindergarten worksheets for the alphabet and numbers all with a Catholic theme. They have a wide choice of printable coloring pages for many Catholic feasts and services including the Stations of the Cross. They say that they are adding new pages often. Even some of adults in our parish might enjoy the joy of learning new prayers while you color.

Our Lord gave the Divine Mercy Chaplet to us and promised, “Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy….”

The Divine Mercy App from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception is available for iOS and Android at www.thedivinemercy.org/apps. I love to set this app on auto and let it play while I drive. While you are there, pick up the Mary App for a great version of the Rosary.

If you prefer the song versions of the Chaplet or video images for meditation, search on “Divine Mercy video.” You’ll find a selection of spoken and sung versions of the Chaplet. You can also search “Divine Mercy EWTN” to get their broadcast versions. These can play on your computer and on your phones.

Our Blessed Mother left for all Christians Fifteen Promises to those who recite the Holy Rosary. “Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.” Read more of Her promises at http://www.themostholyrosary.com/15promises.htm

My favorite iphone app is Holy Rosary – Standard Edition by Joe Meineke. This app will play the daily rosary without any interaction from you. This means that I can pray while I wash dishes or while I drive to church. It makes it very convenient to get in your daily rosary. There is a version available for android also called Holy Rosary by Joe Meineke. Remember, Our Lady of Fatima said “Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world . . . for she alone can save it.” (Our Lady, July 13, 1917)

A fascinating resource for Catholics can be found at https://www.catholiconline.school Catholic Online School offers FREE classes, lessons, instructional videos, educational resources and a personalized learning experience that allows learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Over 5,000 free lessons offer instruction on the Saints, Religious Education, K-12 instruction, Moral Theology, the Blessed Virgin, Ancient History, Novenas, etc. We all have an obligation to continue our learning in Catholic teaching and tradition.

As we begin to resume the celebration of Mass at Our Lady of Fatima certain changes are being made to help keep us all safe. The hymnals/missals will be removed from all pews since they can’t be sanitized. However, you can bring a copy with you if you would like the familiarity of having the readings and prayers available. Both Magnificat (https://us.magnificat.net/free) and Word Among Us (https://wau.org/subscribe/) offer printed copies of their monthly missals. If you prefer to use your phone, digital versions of each are also available for iOS and Android. Other Apps include iMissal ($4.99), Laudate (free), and iBreviary (free) which also includes the Liturgy of the Hours. Some of these apps are available for Kindle Fire as well. Search for these titles in your App Store.

During this time of self-isolation many of us have turned to streaming services. A valuable resource available from EWTN offers ON DEMAND content. The daily programming like Daily Mass, News and the Rosary are available for free from any device that can access the Internet. Their children’s series like Tomkin and The Friar are free to use. Other items, like their Documentaries (including the recent one on Saul Alinsky, A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing), are available for rent or purchase. Find it all at https://ondemand.ewtn.com/

All members of our Parish now have FREE access to all of the Catholic media located at FORMED.ORG. Enter our Parish Code K3QZK6 and then create an ID using your email.

A new video series that is available is called The Faithful Traveler. There is a series that visits sacred sites in the Holy Land and another series that visits Catholic shrines and places of Pilgrimage in the US along the East Coast. While we are stuck at home sheltering in place these series give us an opportunity to travel and maybe even plan a vacation trip for when this is all over. Find these and many other interesting videos at https://watch.formed.org/documentaries.

During this period of self-distancing, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston has posted a video of Bishop Brennan addressing the current challenges. They have included a great list of online resources for our use. Access these at https://dwc.org/ .

Another resource for daily prayer is found at https://mass-online.org/daily-holy-mass-live-online/. This website provides a Google calendar of live-streaming Masses from around the world. If you click on the name of a church, you can join the sacrifice of the Mass at a time that works for you. Some of the links don’t work but many of them do. The site also contains a link to Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

If you enjoy a Mass celebrated in Latin, check out the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, https://lms.org.uk/, for live streaming of Mass. I believe that the times are local to England so adjust accordingly.

The Apostolic Penitentiary has issued a Decree granting a special Indulgences to the faithful in the current pandemic, 20.03.2020. “The gift of special Indulgences is granted to the faithful suffering from COVID-19 disease, commonly known as Coronavirus, as well as to health care workers, family members and all those who in any capacity, including through prayer, care for them.” You can read the Decree and the conditions for receiving the Plenary Indulgence at http://press.vatican.va/content.

The Catholic Talk Show is an interesting podcast produced by Ryan DellaCrosse, Ryan Scheel, and Fr. Rich Pagano. The show is hilarious, entertaining, and informative! Topics include: “Is it Time For Vatican III?,” “20 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Catholic,” “7 Secrets Catholic Exorcists Want You To Know,” & “Why Are So Many People Sad & Depressed?” Check it out at catholictalkshow.com/ or search Facebook, YouTube, or iTunes.

Have you ever received an email from Fr. asking you to do something for him, like write a check for him or buy a gift card? Have you received a text asking for funds to help bail out a friend or acquaintance from the church? Or maybe a text asking you to respond to a survey or to “click a link”? Have you received a phone call or voice message asking you to transfer funds? These are all types of phishing requests that have been seen in our community. They are from criminal elements attempting to use your good will for their evil ends. Always contact the Parish Office to verify anything of this type. If you’d like to learn more about the dangers of phishing check out https://zd.net/3838zBz and http://bit.ly/3a5ZZE8.

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston has rolled out a new website, #FaithlnWV, highlighting the Catholic communities in our state. FaithlnWV.org is an online pathway to stories, photos, and videos of how our people in West Vu-ginia are following Christ in their actions and choices. #FaithlnWV is about hope rising above the odds, being a blessing, and leading by example. It is choosing to find the good in others, and letting others see Christ in you. Ultimately, it is having faith in God the Father above all.

Learn how our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing His work. Let’s celebrate their love, joy, strength, and resilience through the website. Do you know an exceptional Catholic in West Virginia, someone or a group who is a shining example of #FaithlnWV? Email your feature idea to jbibey@dwc.org.

Happy New Year! The Catholic Liturgical Calendar begins a new year on the first Sunday of Advent, which is Dec 1 this year. It consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons that determine when feast days and other holy days are observed, and which Scripture and Gospel readings are used at Mass. Aside from the readings, the liturgical calendar also determines the interior decoration of a Church, the priest’s vestment colors, the timing of spiritual seasons and practices such as Lent, and much more.

The “Lectionary,” the Mass readings from the Holy Bible, follows a Sunday cycle and a weekday cycle. The Liturgical Calendar follows a three year cycle, each year being represented by the letters, A, B and C. During the year A cycle, the Gospel of Matthew is the primary Gospel that is used for the readings. In year B, Mark is the primary Gospel. In year C Luke is the primary Gospel. The Gospel of John is proclaimed on particular Sundays in each of the years. On weekdays in Ordinary Time, there is a 2 year cycle numbered I and II. Year I is read in odd number years such as 2015, 2017, 2019. Year II is read in even years such as 2016, 2018, 2020. Therefore, if a person attends the Holy Mass every day for 3 years, having been present for all the readings of the 3 cycles, most of the Holy Bible will have been read to him during that time frame. The new year, 2020 will be a Cycle A year and we’ll use those readings from the hymnal.

For more information, check out: catholic-liturgy-year-calendar-2020

An excellent resource for Catholics is the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, at www. usccb.org. If you click on Prayer and Worship, and then Prayers and Devotions you will find links to a discussion of how to pray. There are links to familiar prayers as well as prayers for Eucharistic Devotion, Meditations, Litanies, Rosaries, Mary, the Saints and the Stations of the Cross.

The God Minute is a reflective daily prayer based on the Divine Office of the Church. But instead of reading it, you listen. Led by a Vincentian priest, it includes music, scripture and a thoughtful, spiritual message to begin your day with the Lord. On your computer or tablet go to TheGodMinute.org. On your iPhone or iPad, download the God Moments App. Additionally, the God Minute podcast is available wherever you access your favorite podcasts .