30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners, 
Once again, in the wee hours of the morning of Sunday, November 3rd , we will “fall back” and leave daylight saving time – a yearly change that we all must remember to do so that we’re not an hour early for Mass, work, or appointments if we have any of these on that Sunday morning. So this yearly “change” is one of a number of annual changes we are involved in. With this time change on November 3rd, here at St. Peter’s we will have another “time change,” starting on Saturday, November 9, with the Vigil Mass beginning at 4 pm rather than 5 pm. As your pastor, I feel that this Mass time change has more pros than cons. First, the earliest time that a vigil Mass can take place is 4 pm, and the vast majority of vigil Masses in our archdiocese and beyond begin at 4 pm. Secondly, those Mass-goers who do not like to or can’t drive after dark may now attend the vigil Mass at 4 pm and drive home before or at sunset – it is quite dark already at 6 pm during standard time. Thirdly, the 4 pm vigil Mass allows people, as well as the priests who officiate at these, to attend Catholic weddings that many times take place on Saturday evenings, in addition to other Saturday night events. Ultimately, making the vigil Mass more available to all parishioners who would like to attend is the important consideration here.