November 14-15, 2026
Answer Pope Leo’s call to offer signs of hope to the poor by supporting the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, whose annual collection in many dioceses equips people experiencing poverty to address the needs in their own communities and strengthens both local and national anti-poverty efforts. If you miss our parish collection or prefer to give online, you can donate through iGiveCatholic.

When we hear the line from the first reading this weekend about not molesting or oppressing an alien, we may think of the movie E.T., in which the children help the extraterrestrial just because he needs help. What the reading calls aliens are immigrants or newcomers. They lived among the Hebrews but were not Jews themselves. The Lord reminds the people that they were once aliens themselves. They should not make the same mistake the Egyptians did when they mistreated the Israelites. God uses the same logic in commanding them to take care of widows and orphans. Treat them like family, or else your own wives and children will be in the same situation. Immigrants, widows, orphans, borrowers—all must be treated with compassion.
The reason for such compassion should be deeper than just fear of punishment. “Do to others as you would have them do to you,” Jesus said (Luke 6:31). Today’s Gospel has a similar saying: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Jesus called this the second commandment. The first is to love God wholly and completely, heart, mind, and soul. If the second commandment is the Golden Rule, the first might be called the Diamond Rule. If you think about it, in order to keep the first commandment, you have to be keeping the second as well.
Jesus said that whatever you do for the poor, the homeless, the sick, or prisoners, you do for him (Matthew 25:31–46). Mother Teresa could see Jesus in the poorest of the poor. Jesus himself showed compassion even to sinners. We can’t really say we love God if we don’t love the people God created.
So that gives us two reasons to love our neighbor. First, because God lives in other people, so loving God means loving God wherever God is found. Second, God loves them, so if we are to be holy, we must be like God. What does that mean? Remember the saying that “charity begins at home”? That is only true because it is easier to love family and friends, but charity doesn’t end there. If we truly love God, we will extend our charity to those outside our homes. People are probably still rebuilding after the earthquakes in Panama, Hurricane Isaias in the Panhandle, floods in Turkey and Nepal, and other disasters, and every city has some kind of homeless shelters. You say you love God? Let’s see you love your neighbor. -Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications

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TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
There is a show on public television in which people search their attics for heirlooms, dust them off, and trek them downtown for ruthless evaluation by teams of antique experts. Occasionally the owners are surprised to learn they have been harboring priceless artifacts: a Tiffany bowl used to catch the car keys, a Van Gogh in the downstairs bathroom. What they lugged downtown in a paper bag, they carry home in bubble wrap and blankets.
It’s the same with treasures in Church life. Lots of things were lugged up into the attic years ago, and it was inevitable that some treasures would end up in the trash. Many Catholics tucked the sacrament of penance away in a dusty corner. We know it’s there if we need it, but it is not the weekly routine it once was, “whether I need it or not.” Today, especially in Lent and Advent or as part of personal preparation for marriage, ordination, or other life transitions, the sacrament of penance is a treasure of the Christian life waiting to be discovered. What’s in your attic?
—Rev. James Field, Diocesan Publications

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Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles – October 28

Saint Jude, apostle and . . . Hollywood success story? Indeed! Beyond Simon’s being a “ Zealot” for Israel’s liberation and Jude’s question about Jesus revealing himself (John 14:22), no historic facts are known about either saint. But Saint Jude’s well-known patronage of “lost causes” and “hopeless cases” is largely due to a desperate vow made just before World War II by a struggling entertainer, the son of Arab-American immigrants, Danny Thomas. Unemployed, his wife about to give birth, Danny, attending Mass, impulsively donated his last $7.00 to the collection, promising: “Saint Jude, if you help me find my way in life, I will build a shrine in your honor!” Older Americans remember well Danny’s long, successful movie and television career. Grateful parents worldwide know the miracles that have taken place for fifty years at his Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where needy children are cared for regardless of race, religion, or financial resources, and monumental advances continue in healing and preventing pediatric cancers and catastrophic childhood diseases. A living, life-giving partnership is this “Communion of Saints”: Simon, Jude, Danny Thomas—us!
—Peter Scagnelli, Diocesan Publications

Care for God’s Creation – Laudato Si’ Circle
Join us Saturday, November 14, 2026
8:00 Care for Creation
8:30 – 11:00 Light breakfast & presentations

Monsignor Vincent Haut will celebrate the Mass for the Care for God’s Creation, an official liturgical formulary added to the Roman Missal by the Vatican to pray for the environment, integral ecology, and the good stewardship of the earth. His later presentation will discuss Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas as it relates to creation.
The Jubilee Year of St. Francis, proclaimed by Pope Leo commemorates the 800-year anniversary of the death of St. Francis. Cliff Evans, OFS, will present the key themes of the 2026 Jubilee – Peace with God: A renewed focus on the Gospel and a simple, essential faith; Peace with Humanity: Building bridges across social and global divisions; and Peace with Creation: Honoring St. Francis’s legacy of caring for the environment and all living creatures.
RSVP to Kathy Christensen, moederk@aol.com or call 904-504-2422 with questions.

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Are you looking for a way to refuel and connect with other women in our parish? The women of St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s Walking with Purpose Bible Study invite all women to join us for our next Walking with Purpose Connect Coffee talk!
• What: A casual morning/evening of fellowship, an inspiring video, and open conversation about faith and daily life. No prior attendance or book purchase required!
• When: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
• Session Options: Morning session 8:30am OR Evening session 6:30pm
• Where: St. Paul’s Family Life Center
• Theme: YOUR HEART — YOU ARE CAPTIVATING
Come to see what Walking with Purpose is all about. Refreshments will be served! For questions or to RSVP, please contact Angie Gray, (904) 626-4560.

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St. Paul’s Bereavement Support Group will resume their monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of each month beginning November 18th at 6:30pm in Room 102 of the Family Life Center.
This group is for men and women who are grieving the loss of a family member or friend. For more information and to register for the group, please call Robine Grause at 904-426-5893.

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SEVEN SISTERS APOSTOLATE – Help pray for our priests!
The Seven Sisters Apostolate is an international ministry that has a goal of covering our priests in prayer by ensuring a team of women pray for a specific priest during a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament each day of the week. The teams for Monsignor Houle and Fr. Ernest are complete. The team for Fr. Maurice is looking for someone to fill the place of the sister who was praying for him on Sundays. You can pray a half hour before and after Mass, or be in the church for an hour between the 8:00 and 10:30 Masses. The church is also open at 4:30 on Sunday afternoons. If you feel called to join this group, please contact the St. Paul’s Seven Sisters Coordinator Carol Butler at cwbjax@outlook.com or 904-536-1406.