This winter we are asking all of our parishioners to completely update their contact information.  We attempted to fill in the gaps last winter with a short form left in the pews, but unfortunately, we didn't capture all of the data that we were hoping to.  As a result, we are working together to complete a total overhaul of our census- with a goal to have it completed by the end of February.  Accurate and complete contact information is necessary so that we can serve you better in the future. As a staff, we have worked together to generate a completely new census form which more efficiently collects the contact information that matters in 2020.  This includes updated entries for individual e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers as well as demographic information, special needs, and sacraments.

Dear friends in Christ, on this Fourth and final Sunday of Advent, we recall the fullness of time, when the Son of God became human, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.  We remember Mary's joyful acceptance of God's plan.  In her "yes" to God, the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. As we light all four candles on the Advent wreath, let us join Mary as willing servants of the Lord; may our "yes" welcome Christ into our world. (c) 1988, OCP, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR, 97213.

Dear friends in Christ, on this Third Sunday of Advent, we are invited to rejoice in the Lord, for he is near.  In anticipation of the joy of Christmas, we light three candles on the Advent wreath, recalling that joy is one of the surest signs of God's presence among us. (c) 1988, OCP, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR, 97213.

This weekend, many churches in the area will be holding Advent Penance Services for our Catholic community.  The penance service in our cluster will be held on Saturday, December 14th beginning at 10:00 am at Our Lady Queen of Peace.  In addition, the priests at Saint Thomas More and Our Lady Queen of Peace regularly make the Sacrament of Reconciliation available on Saturdays from 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm, as well as by appointment.  The Diocese of Rochester also maintains a list of times offered by the parishes in our Diocese for Confession, which can be found here.

Dear friends in Christ, on this Second Sunday of Advent, our attention is turned to the great figure of John the Baptist.  Hohn calls us out to the desert, proclaiming a time of repentence and renewal, for the day of the Lord is at hand. As we light two candles on the Advent wreath, let us prepare ourselves through prayer and penance.  Let us open a way for the Lord to come into our lives. (c) 1988, OCP, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR, 97213.

Dear friends in Christ, today we begin the season of Advent.  It is a time of watching and waiting for the coming of the Lord. The Advent wreath reminds us of our yearning for God.  Its circular shape tells us of God’s everlasting love and faithfulness.  Its evergreen branches tell us of eternal life and of God’s desire for us to live with him forever.  The four candles remind us of the passing of time, our human history into which God has entered through his Son, Jesus. This is a time of grace, a time for a new advent of Jesus into our lives. ​​​​​​​On this First Sunday in Advent, we focus on the Lord’s second coming.  Let us heed the Gospel words of Jesus, “Be on guard; be prepared.”  As we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, may its flame bid us to be always ready for the coming of the Lord.

Parents and youth at our parish recently had the opportunity to volunteer at the St. Andrews Food Cupboard.  They delivered and sorted 8 SUVs filled to the brim with donations received at OLQP & STM at our annual food drive for Thanksgiving. Thank you for your abundant generosity!  While the donations of food for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday were plentiful, the youth quickly understood that these needs exist every day for people experiencing food insecurity.  One of the things that they learned was that basic items, like toiletries and cleaning products, that many of us purchase regularly without a second thought are not covered by SNAP or WIC.  The director of St. Andrew's Food Cupboard shared an anecdote about a client of the cupboard who was met with a difficult choice that most of our children have not had to face.  He was instructed that he may select EITHER a bottle of dishwashing soap or a stick of deodorant.  Sadly, these items are expensive and the cupboard cannot stock them in enough quantity to allow clients to select both. This is a great reminder that we must take nothing for granted, and that one small act of generosity can have a BIG impact.  As a result, during December we are collecting dish soap and deodorant for St Andrew's Food Cupboard in response to both the needs of our community at large as well as the desire of our youth to serve this particular need.  You can drop off your donations at the collection boxes at either OLQP or STM when you come for Mass, or you may bring them to Faith Formation, Youth Group or the Christmas Party for Faith Formation families on December 17th.  Thank you for supporting our parish and community!

The Catholic Courier is holding it's annual Advent Coloring Contest for children ages 3-12 in the Diocese of Rochester.  The contest begins November 6th, and submissions will be accepted via USPS and e-mail until November 27th.  The submitted coloring pages will be posted online and the public will be able to vote for their favorite artwork in each age group starting at noon on December 2nd on the Catholic Courier's webpage.  Prizes will be awarded to the artwork with the most votes in each age group.  For more details, and to print a copy of the coloring page, please visit the Catholic Courier here!  We can't wait to see what all of our creative youth create!  Good luck!

Next weekend we will take up the Collection for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.  Established by St. John Paul II in 1985, the AMS is the only US diocese responsible for providing pastoral care to men and women serving in the US Armed Forces, enrolled at a US Military Academy, being treated as a patient at any of the 153 US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, or working for the federal government beyond US borders- including those from our own parish and diocese.  AMS priests and deacons serve approximately 1.8 million Catholics.  To learn more about the AMS, go to www.milarch.org/nationalcollection.  As always, thank you for your generosity.

All lectors are asked to please attend one of the following gatherings for prayer, reflection and a practicum with Mary Ann Obark, D.Min.   Wednesday, November 13th: 6:30 pm @ OLQP Saturday, November 16th: 1:00pm @ STM For more information, and to RSVP please contact the parish office or Margaret Ostromecki at 244-3010 or 381-4200.  You can also RSVP via e-mail at: mostromecki@dor.org ​​​​​​​Thank you!

We thank the Most Reverend Salvatore Matano who celebrated Mass and blessed the new courtyard and Marian statue at Our Lady Queen of Peace this past weekend. Additionally, we thank Father Tomasso and Father Brickler who so often lead us in liturgical worship and have become such important members of our community. We also extend a very gracious thank you to the Our Lady Queen of Peace Ensemble and the Saint Thomas More Liturgical Choir who, together, led us in joyful song during Mass and in the courtyard giving praise to God in the words of Hail, Holy Queen. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you we cry, the children of Eve; to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this land of exile. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; lead us home at last and show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus: O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

We are collecting: Canned vegetables Canned fruit Gravy Stuffing mix Cranberry sauce Canned yams Boxed potatoes Pie filling/pie crust mix Muffin mix  We also welcome: Clean useable plastic and paper bags New and gently used reusable grocery shopping bags Financial donations (checks) can be directly sent to St. Andrew's Food Cupboard, 890 Portland, Avenue, Rochester, NY 14621 or call 338-1764 More info: https://sites.google.com/view/standrewsfoodcupboard/   Please return bags to St. Thomas More or Our Lady Queen of Peace by November 17. Parish youth will be delivering them after Masses that day.   Thank you for your generosity!   Thank you to Wegmans for generously providing all of our paperbags! For over 10 years our parishes have supported St. Andrews Food Cupboard Our Thanksgiving collection is given to over 500 families.   Over 300 families are provided more than 1100 meals every month, mostly singles mothers and children.

The Hands of Christ is a recognition program to assist parishes in affirming their high school seniors who have been the “Hands of Christ” in their church, home, school and community, sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. Hands of Christ recipients: Have consistently demonstrated a Christian attitude by word and example. Have been actively involved in the parish as well as their school or community. Have been a positive role model to their peers, younger children and adults. Are a practicing Roman Catholic in a parish in the Diocese of Rochester and attend Mass. Are currently a high school senior.  Recognized seniors are invited to receive a plaque from the Most Reverend Bishop Salvatore R. Matano at one of three special Recognition Ceremonies. Please check back for more information about the 2020 Hands of Christ Award ceremonies! Please complete a nomination form by 11/1 to either OLQP or STM in person or by mail.  Nomination forms can be found by the entrances to both parishes.  Thank you!

We are Baptized and Sent! This week is World Mission Sunday, in a special Extraordinary Missionary Month. We are called through our baptism to be part of the Church’s missionary efforts, through prayer, self-sacrifice and support of missionary vocations through material aid. Remembering that we are baptized and sent as a Universal Church of Christ on mission in the world, we can… PRAY for the Church’s worldwide missionary work OFFER financial HELP and CHARITY through The Society for the Propagation of the Faith for vulnerable communities. As always, your prayers are your most treasured gift to the Missions. Your prayers and financial help, offered this weekend, on WORLD MISSION SUNDAY, support mission priests, religious Sisters and Brothers, and lay catechists who are Christ’s witnesses to a world so in need of His healing, love, and peace. Thank you in advance for your generous financial donations to this worthy mission!

Please Help support the work of the following agencies which provide care and support to mothers and their babies. These organizations include: Birthright, Women's Care Center, YWCA Young Adult Services, Daystar, & The Margaret Home. Suggested Items for donation include: Baby clothes (new or gently used), crib sheets, gift cards, baby hygiene items (baby shampoo, ointments, body wash, suction bulbs, scissors, etc), diaper bags, onsies, gently used maternity clothing, bottles, baby wipes, diapers (including the larger sizes 4-5), hooded towels, washcloths, baby bottles, and breast milk storage bags. Collections will begin on 10/19 and will continue to sorting day 10/27 at noon at STM. Thank you for your generosity!

1. Why did the Diocese file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition? Is it going out of business? 2. Since there have been no contemporaneous claims of clerical sex abuse in the Diocese of Rochester for more than 13 years, why suddenly are so many old abuse claims being presented to the Diocese at this time? 3. How will this bankruptcy benefit victims? 4. Will the individual parishes be harmed by this Diocesan bankruptcy proceeding? 5. Will Catholic Ministry Appeal funds be used to pay sex abuse settlements?

To all who have not discovered Christ, to all who are Christian, but not in full communion with the Catholic Church and to all who were baptized Catholic but have not been fully initiated into the Church (have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation) – Welcome! Life has so many mysteries, that give pause to wonder, amazement, and a new way of looking at things we thought we had seen before.  For each of us, the door that opens and reveals this world of mystery is different.  Some open the door at an early age, and some, sadly, pass their life wondering what would have happened if they had opened that door.  God, through grace, gives us opportunities to open that door -  a powerful encounter with someone else, a unique experience, a new job, a marriage, a birth, a death – things out of the ordinary occur that give us pause, and a moment of reflection. What is this life all about?  Why are we here? And where do we go from here? The RCIA begins as a journey of inquiry, a recognition that there is sometime more, a tugging of the heart that asks us to draw closer to the one who created us, to others and to ourselves.  Through this process of inquiry, each inquirer discerns how they may be called to a new, deeper relationship with God. ​​​​​​​ If you have felt moved to consider more deeply your relationship to God, please join us at either of two information meetings – Tuesday, September 10th at 7:00 P.M. at Our Lady Queen of Peace or Thursday, September 12th at 7:00 P.M. at St. Thomas More.  Hope to see you there!

Connor Doran and Meghan Robinson are both excited to begin another year filled with song and praise, and would like to know if you would join them!   There are many opportunities to participate in our churches' vibrant music ministry programs in the upcoming year, and Connor and Meghan are thrilled to welcome participants of all ages, abilities, and experience.  Our Lady Queen of Peace has an Ensemble Choir which practices on Sunday mornings and sings at the 9:15 am Mass.  St. Thomas More has a Liturgical Choir which rehearses Thursdays from 7-9 pm and sings at the 10:30 am Mass.  Additional music opportunities include participating in the Resurrection Choir, whose mission is to assist grieveing families at funerals in both Word and Song, and participating in the Liturgical Choir as they present Part 1 of Handel's Messiah with soloists and orchestra at STM on December 14th.  The Cherub Choir encourages children in grades 3-8 to participate more fully in the Mass by feeding their natural love of music and song.  The Cherub Choir has a family friendly schedule, and they sing for both Easter and Christmas. If you have interest in joining, or finding out more about how you might support the music ministries that our cluster offers, please contact Connor Doran or Meghan Robinson.  We hope to hear your voice!

Group Meets at OLQP Hospitality Room 6:30 to 8:00 pm on Wednesdays: September 11 & 25 October 9 & 23 November 6 & 20 and Dec. 4 Come join us in exploring the questions that rise from the depth of our soul, through prayer and discussion, we encounter something transcendent and real.   For more information or to register please call the parish office at 244-3010 or 381-4200. We will be reading Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life, by Joan Chittister. Please click for more information!

Please click here to view the letter from Bishop Salvatore Matano to the constituents of the Diocese of Rochester regarding the upcoming lifting of the statute of limitations by New York State on litigation related to sex abuse in the Catholic Church.