Mass Times: Saturdays at 5:00 pm;
Sundays at 8:00 am and 10:30 am.
Mon, Tues, Wed* (*Communion service),
and Fri at 8:15 am;
Thurs at 6:00 pm.
St. Rita Roman Catholic Church
1008 Maple Dr., Webster, NY 14580
585-671-1100
 

The Parish Office is open from 9 am to noon, Monday through Friday.  Stop by or give us a call at 671-1100.

Pastoral Messages

Together We Bring Hope

As Francis of Assisi grew in his faith but was not yet fully converted, he suffered from an extreme disgust of those who suffered from the disease of leprosy. Even seeing a leper at a distance would cause him to double over with nausea.

He would go well out of his way to avoid the places where they lived.

One day, while riding home on his horse, there was suddenly a leper in his path. The leper stood there with his hand out and with pleading in his eyes, begging for alms. Francis, made stronger than himself, got down from his horse and not only gave the man alms, but also kissed the open sores on his hands.

Francis turned and got back on his horse and when he turned back to the path, the leper had vanished.

This is my favorite story of my favorite saint. I have always loved how the Grace of God transformed Francis’ heart and made him “stronger than himself”.

Another way that God helps us to be stronger than ourselves is when we come together as a faith community.

Joyfully living the Gospel of Jesus, we can do so much more when we journey through life together. We do this as St. Rita Parish and as the Diocese of Rochester. When we realize our unity as a diocese, we are literally made stronger than ourselves. The work and love extend so much further and bear so much more fruit than we could ever hope to accomplish on our own.

Please support our parish and our diocese. Please give generously and early to the Catholic Ministries Appeal.

For six straight years, we have finished before Christmas. The CMA is important and deserves our attention and energy. But we also have other important things that God is calling us to do. So, let’s do the CMA well, complete our responsibility before Christmas, and move into the new year able to devote ourselves to other ministries.

And also, if at all possible, please increase your ongoing regular contributions to St. Rita. In your envelopes, or even better, online, support all the ministries that St. Rita is involved in. There is so much more happening and being accomplished than any of us could hope to do on our own. But it all does happen. It happens by the grace of God and because together we are made stronger than we are on our own.

Thank you for all that you do. I am so proud of the people of our parish.

Yours in Christ,
~Fr. Tim


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Scripture

An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings - November 2, 2025

“The Souls of the Just are in the Hand of God”

This Sunday is a rare opportunity to celebrate All Souls Day on a Sunday. Normally this would be the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time but because All Souls Day falls on a Sunday, we use these readings in our celebration. Our readings for this commemoration give us consolation for our beloved dead and hope of their resurrection and eternal life.

In our first reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (Solomon 3:1-9), we hear the firm belief in the afterlife and that the just will rest with our God for eternity. “They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead … but they are in peace.” Whatever suffering they had in this life was seen as a testing and purification by God so that they would be found worthy. “… Because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.”

In our Epistle reading (Romans 6:3-9), St. Paul teaches us the importance of Baptism. Paul emphasizes that Baptism is a real and not merely symbolic participation in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Paul writes, “If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” This is not a symbolic resurrection, but a real resurrection to a real eternal life with Christ in paradise, heaven. We are called to believe this reality and put it into practice in our daily lives.

In our Gospel reading (John 6:37-40), we hear an excerpt from Jesus’ “Bread of Life Discourse” which happens immediately after He fed the five thousand with only five fish and two loaves of bread. This passage offers comfort and consolation that both we and our loved ones are the personal concern of Jesus. “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me…”

Today’s celebration is not a feast day or a solemnity but always follows the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1, which is usually a Holy Day of Obligation. All Souls' Day is a solemn observance in the Catholic tradition to pray for the souls of the departed, particularly those in purgatory, who are believed to be in the process of purification before entering heaven. It is a day of remembrance and hope, reflecting on the unity of the Church, both on earth and in heaven, offering prayers and sacrifices to assist the souls of the deceased in their journey towards God's presence, and the promise of resurrection and eternal life with our God.

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110225.cfm


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© 2014 St. Rita Roman Catholic Church - Last updated 2022-09-13 21:11:10
Mass Times: Saturdays at 5:00 pm;
Sundays at 8:00 am and 10:30 am.
Mon, Tues, Wed* (*Communion service),
and Fri at 8:15 am;
Thurs at 6:00 pm.