From the Vicar — November 2nd, 2025
Looking for Host Families for Students and Missionaries from German and Austrian FOCUS Campuses
I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. Are you willing to host some travelers this Christmas season?
As you might know, I served for four years as a full-time Missionary with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. One of the most impactful experiences for many students during their college experience was attending the SEEK Conference, a 5-day conference with nationally-known speakers like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Bishop Barron, Jason Evert, and many others. For many students, going to the talks, Adoration, confession and Mass alongside thousands of other young men and women is a life-changing experience, and sets them on fire to go back to their campuses and share the Gospel!
We have a unique opportunity at St. Pat’s to support a particular group of college students in having that kind of life changing experience! Our parish is hosting a group of college students, missionaries and priests coming all the way from FOCUS campuses in Germany and Austria! They will be staying in Brighton for four days prior to the Conference as a chance to experience America, and to spend some time in prayer and preparation for the Conference.
We are expecting around 100 people, and so we are looking for folks generous enough to host a few of these students and missionaries in their homes for a few days. They will arrive the evening of Sunday, December 28th, and will be leaving the morning of January 1st. They will be out and about during the day and won’t need any meals while they are here: they really just need a place to sleep!
(Also, in case you are wondering, they all speak English quite well) If you are willing to host, please fill out this jotform. Please contact Fr. Joshua (frjoshua@stpatchurch.org) or Casey Mangan (caseymangan@gmail.com) with any questions.
Thank you for your generosity in making this experience possible for them!
Pray for the Souls in Purgatory this November
November is the traditional month to pray for the souls in Purgatory. What is Purgatory? The Catechism states that, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect.”
Purgatory is a testament to God’s merciful love for us! It is a state in which souls are purified from attachments to and effects of sin. Why do we pray for them? Well, from the beginning of the Church, prayers and Masses offered for the dead have been encouraged. We hear in the book of Maccabees: “Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” Our prayers have power! The souls in Purgatory need our prayers. So, during this month of November, I encourage you to do something in particular to pray for the dead. Maybe that looks like praying a rosary at the grave of a loved one, or adding this short prayer to the end of your prayer before meals: “And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.” Whatever you decide to do, big or small, find some way to pray for these souls, that they may soon enter the eternal joys of Heaven.
Knights of Columbus Membership Drive This Weekend
We are blessed at St. Pat’s to have a very strong Knights of Columbus council. (I actually just recently joined!) In case you aren’t familiar, the Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic Fraternal Men’s Association in the world with about 2 million members and 16,000 councils around the world.
The Knights do incredible work securing funds to give to worthy charities, including Seminarian education. But you might know them better from all of their service activities for our parish and community: the Tootsie Roll drive, our parish festival, various pro-life activities, and who can forget their incredible Fish Frys during Lent! The Knights of our council put in over 6000 hours of service this past year! When a Knight joins, he is free to choose one or more events or service opportunities in which to participate. Some Knights are more active than others, but everyone’s help matters.
The Knights is where men serve alongside each other, live their faith and make a difference. I’d like to invite parish men to consider joining the Knights. Joining the Knights is easy – you can join online today for free or see one of our Knights in the gathering space who can answer your questions and register you in person.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Joshua