This week it’s my pleasure to share a bit about the other three of our six new Pastoral Council members:
Mike Shinners: Lynn and I have been involved with the parish for 28 years and I currently serve as a Eucharistic minister while Lynn plays in the hand bell choir. Previously, I have served on the Pastoral Council and the Stewardship Committee. Our 2 boys……….
On Friday October 20 Norwood Road Garden Center will plant 3 trees outside the Mary Chapel. Parking just outside the Chapel will be blocked off for your protection.
During Respect Life month we not only focus on our youngest but throughout the entire span of life. As we or our family members age, we are often faced with medical and ethical decisions that are difficult to make. Did you know that we have a framework and resources within our Catholic faith that can help us plan and evaluate options? Join Fr. Peter Murray and Janet Schirripa on Saturday, October 21 at 9:45 am (following the daily Mass) in the Lewis Room for a workshop as we cover challenging decisions. RSVP to Janet at 919.865.5704 or jschirripa@saintraphael.org
2017 Galleria Craft Fair – Saturday, October 21st, 9 am– 4:30 pm in Saint Raphael Ignatius Hall, 5801 Falls of Neuse Rd. Raleigh. Over 55 area vendors will be at the Craft Fair. Crafts include: religious items, paper crafts, Christmas items, jewelry, decorative and kitchen items, pottery, soaps, doll clothes, wreaths and much more! Free admission and multiple raffles. Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus to support Catholic Parish Outreach, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and the USO. Please visit our website at www.galleriacraftfair.com for more details.
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral was dedicated on July 26, 2017 and celebrated its first mass with the public on July 29.
Now each of our eight deaneries (regions within the diocese) will host a special Mass at the newly dedicated cathedral.
The Raleigh Deanery Mass will be on Oct, 22,2017 at 3 PM. It will be first come, first served. No invitations/tickets are being distributed.
In 2018 Pope Francis will convene a Synod of Bishops concerning Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. If you are between 16 and 29 send him your thoughts and ideas by taking the survey before Nov 30.
English http://youth.synod2018.va/content/synod2018/en.html
Written by Trish Sullivan Vanni
We celebrate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary, and on October 7, we observed the Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. As we participate in this month, your children will be enriched by hearing how the Rosary developed.
Starting around the year 300, some Christians seeking a deeper connection to God left their homes to live alone in the deserts of Egypt. Isolation from the world and people allowed these holy men and women to pray constantly………..
“Every life is sacred and every life has a purpose in God’s creation! Every one of us is born for greater things. This is not just a beautiful-sounding idea. This is what Jesus Christ came to teach us! And we are still trying to learn it. The people who wrote this country’s laws and formed our institutions — they understood this teaching. They understood it so well that they called these truths ‘self-evident.’ America’s founders believed that the only justification for government is to serve the human person — who is created in God’s image; who is endowed with God-given dignity, rights and responsibilities; and who is called by God to a transcendent destiny…So today, let us ask the Holy Spirit for his gifts and renew our commitment to this vision of a government that serves the human person. Let us commit ourselves to an America that cares for the young and the elderly, for the poor and the sick; an America where the hungry find bread and the homeless a place to live; an America that welcomes the immigrant and refugee and offers the prisoner a second chance.”
Red Mass Homily, Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. October 1, 2017
The Sisters Book Group is currently reading A Song for Nagasaki by Paul Glynn.
We meet on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month from 1-3 pm at St. Raphael. Click for details.
My grandson, Quinn, was premature – born at 27 weeks – is a triplet and has cerebral palsy. The milestones that come naturally for other children, do not come naturally for him. When he was a toddler, we were told to accept that he most likely would never walk. With great effort and much physical therapy, he did learn to walk, however it has been challenging to find activities in which he can participate.
Well, this summer my daughter discovered a program called Miracle League of the Triangle, and signed Quinn up to play baseball. Last Saturday I was able to attend his game. Two teams played with about a dozen kids on each team………..
We currently have a second Thursday of the month evening Lectio Divina gathering in the Mary Chapel. This is an opportunity to meditate on the readings for the coming weekend, to take The Word deep into one’s heart and to perhaps share with others what touches you. We are adding a weekly Monday gathering following the 11 am Mass. Folks will gather in room 112 for the opportunity to pray and ponder the coming readings. Lectio has a wonderfully old and rich tradition; it’s a powerful and personal way to go deeper into what God is sharing. For more information about the Monday gatherings in room 112 following the 11am Mass connect with Anne Werdel at AnneandBillW@att.net or 919.881.9611.
Nine months of prayer for our spiritual babies in the womb has passed. Week after week we have followed their growth in the St. Raphael Parish bulletin. Now, let’s celebrate their birth by helping pregnant women and babies in need! Please consider donating items to Birthchoice to show your support for their decision to choose life. Birthchoice is a pregnancy resource center here in Raleigh that provides free ultrasounds, prenatal care and counseling. We will be collecting baby items in the Atrium every weekend in October and then will have these donations blessed at the 5:30PM Mass on Sunday, October 29th. We will also be collecting items in the Preschool the week of October 23-27th. And as always, prayers for all involved are also very much appreciated.
After about a month of work our Holy Family Bas Relief has been cleaned and restored. New lights help to show the ceramic images. Stop by after Mass, see if you can identify the scenes, and say a prayer. “While we 
must certainly respect our borders and our laws, so we must also be guided in how we are to care for the least among us, including those who, through no fault of their own, have lived in our country for many years and now seek to make their own contribution to the greatness of our society… I ask the faithful of the Diocese of Raleigh to join me in contacting members of Congress from their respective districts to urge this needed action [legislation to protect to assist those who had been included under DACA prior to the six month termination of the program], as well as to pray for them as they work for the common good of our great nation. Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States of America, watch over and pray for us, now and always.” …
Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, Sept. 5, 2017.
Please visit the “Take Action” page of justiceforimmigrants.org to contact your congressmen.
Please join us the first Wednesday of the month at 9:15 AM in the Nursery to promote the sanctity of life in our parish and community. We are a group of parents who want to provide information, resources and support for a culture of life. Feel free to bring your children! For more information, please contact Lisa Higgins at 619-851-2546 or SRdays4life@gmail.com. Please note that Respect Life will also continue meeting the 4th Wednesday of the month in room 103 at 7 PM.
InterAct is a private, non-profit, United Way agency that provides safety, support, and awareness to victims and survivors of domestic violence and assault. 24 Hour Crisis Lines 919-828-7740 or toll-free 866-291-0855. All services provided by InterAct are confidential and free of charge. www.interactofwake.org 
CATHOLIC CHARITIES COUNSELING SERVICES are available to help adults and/or children cope with numerous life issues, including depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, family conflict and much more. Counseling is provided by highly skilled, compassionate licensed counselors with an average of 15+ years of counseling experience. Most health insurance is accepted. Thanks to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, a subsidized fee scale is available for people who cannot afford the full cost. Please call 790-8533 (Raleigh) or 388-3065 (Cary) to inquire about service or to schedule an appointment.
Does coming to mass bring you joy? Are you filled with gratitude, humbled and open to His grace? Are you strengthened by this intimate relationship with Christ through the Eucharist? Yes?? So show it! Take that smile, that sense of peace, the love that embraces you through worship and share it with another!
We are called to be in community, welcoming everyone along the path, bringing them closer to the beautiful mysteries of our faith. How could you be doing this? Pray about it and consider joining in our welcoming efforts as they get re-visioned this fall.
Connect with Janet Schirripa to hear more about what we’d like to be doing. Respond to Christ’s call to welcome the stranger and help them take a first step here at St. Raphael. Reach Janet at 865.5704 or jschirripa@saintraphael.com
EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT will be held Thursday, November 2, 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM in the Chapel. Note the early closing this month only as we will have a Mass at 7 pm, Feast of All Souls. This devotion will be a special time to pray for the souls of the departed, in His presence.
The Nursery will be open from 9 am to 11 am, room 106, thanks to the Mothers in Faith.
