ForYourMarriage.org offers numerous resources on the meaning and beauty of marriage in God’s plan. It provides support to couples at every stage of their journey. There are sections dedicated to dating, marriage preparation, mixed marriages, parenting and family, natural family planning, the stages of marriage among others. A marriage resource section offers daily marriage tips, marriage help and support links with solutions to common challenges. Find answers to questions specific to planning a Catholic wedding as well as related Church documents and teachings.

The message and devotion to Jesus known as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God’s mercy. Jesus said to Sister Faustina: “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….” and later “….When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior”. You can find the Chaplet at www.thedivinemercy.org.

Many of us can remember listening to radio and television broadcasts of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. Many of these are still available through YouTube. Some of them are just audio recordings of his radio shows. Others are full videos from his TV shows. They are just as meaningful today as they were when we first heard them. Open a search engine like Google and search for “YouTube Bishop Fulton Sheen.”

Agnus Dei

Do you remember the Latin Agnus Dei that we are singing in Mass or does it just sound foreign to you? Here are the words and the translation for your reference.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

For more information, check out www.thoughtco.com/translation-of-the-agnus-dei-724428

Holy Water

Do you regularly use Holy Water? Do you keep Holy Water in your home? This blog post, totustuusfamily.blogspot.com/2011/02/holy-water-fonts.html , is a good discussion of how and why one family uses Holy Water in their home. If you’d like to purchase a font for your home, search Google for “holy water font” and lots of sources, including Amazon, will show up.

Snow Emergency? Mass Schedule Change?

When there are sudden changes to our church schedule, the easiest and fastest way for us to communicate schedule changes is via our My Parish App for your smartphone. To stay up to date, please download the App at myparishapp.com or from our website at ourfatimafamily.com. We will also post to Facebook so follow us at www.facebook.com/olofatima/.

As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, take a minute to check out our Parish School at OLOFPS.ORG and St. Joseph High School at STJOSEPHHS.ORG. These websites include lots of links for students and parents, as well as copies of the school calendars and information for alumni.

New Year Resolutions: Have you signed up to spend an hour with Our Lord during Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays? Do you have questions about Eucharistic Adoration and what is expected of you? Check out what the USCCB has to say at www.usccb.org. You can come any Wednesday between 8:00 AM & 2:00 PM and join us in Adoration.

The Christmas shopping season is upon us. You can help our parish school by shopping through the Amazon Smile program. Use our organization link at smile.amazon.com/ch/55-0392772 to select Our Lady of Fatima Church. From then on, just start at smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the Church for the school. Thanks for your support.

The season of Advent begins next Sunday. We have Advent candles in the Gift Shop and Advent Reflection booklets at the doors of church. If you are using MyParispApp, note that they have added an “Advent” button on the bottom of the home page. Here they will be posting Daily Advent Reflections. If you don’t have our Parish App, you can download it at myparishapp.com.

What do you know about the Church’s teachings on death, judgement, the resurrection of the body, heaven, hell, and purgatory? EWTN has a great discussion of “The Last Things” on their website at www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/lastmenu.htm. You will find teachings as well as reflections and prayers. As we approach the Advent season, spend some time reflecting on your – last days.

Our Parish is currently raising money for the parking lot and Parish Hall renovations through the Catholic Sharing Appeal. If you can donate between now and Jan. 1, 100% of your donation will be returned to our Parish. You can donate on-line at csa.dwcministries.org/donations Please consider an End of Year donation to help our Parish. May God bless you and your family for your generosity!

Our Parish e-giving procedures have been revised and modernized. Check it out on our website, ourfatimafamily.com, and on our Parish App. Select “E-Giving” on the website and “Giving” on the App. If you have previously logged in, your ID and password should still work. If you want to create a new login, enter your email address and select a password. You can donate using a credit card or an electronic check. Be sure to select the correct fund. Let us know if something needs to be added. The system allows you to make a one-time donation or to set up recurring transactions.

Do you have kids or grandkids who like to play with LEGOs? Check out these sets at OurPicnicTree.com which feature Mini-Figures from the Bible, a 140 Piece Nativity Set & a set with Lehi, Sariah, Nephi and his Broken Bow! Bring your favorite Scripture Hero’s and stories to life for your kids.

In our Parish App, found in the Apple Store by searching for “myParish – Catholic Life Every Day” and in Google Play by searching for “myParish – Catholic Life”, you can find many beautiful prayers like the following, Litany of Humility.

Litany of Humility

O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled…
From the desire of being honored…
From the desire of being praised…
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted…
From the desire of being approved…
From the fear of being humiliated…
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes…
From the fear of being calumniated…
From the fear of being forgotten…
From the fear of being ridiculed…
From the fear of being wronged…
From the fear of being suspected…

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I…
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease…
That others may be chosen and I set aside…
That others may be praised and I unnoticed…
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Amen

Start each day with an inspiring quote sent directly to your inbox. The authors at Dynamic Catholic share the spiritual wisdom from Matthew Kelly and other leading Catholic authors of our time. These Daily Reflections, simple yet powerful messages, will help you to live each day with passion and purpose. Sign up for free at dynamiccatholic.com/daily-reflections

On September 15, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and Fr. Paul will offer a Mass for those parents who have lost a child. Read about the origin and history of this Feast at the Catholic Education Resource Center

Looking for a good book to read? Want to buy a great book for your kid? Look no further than stuartsstudy.blogspot.com/ Stuart covers everything from fiction to Theology and offers a thorough and thoughtful perspective.

Check out the Our Lady of Fatima Parish School’s webpage at olofps.org. This is a great way to keep you posted about school activities.

If you are a Facebook user, check out and follow “Catholics Striving for Holiness” at www.facebook.com/CatholicsstrivingforHoliness. You will find beautiful photos and prayers as well as inspiring stories of saints and their feast days.