May 3, 2026

Dear Friends, Like so many of your personal experiences, many things have been happening that make the days go by all so quickly. October is quickly passing by and there is much to address. First off, our parishes will be welcoming Rev. M.S. Raj next weekend to address the annual Propagation of the Faith Mission Appeal. Father Raj is from the Diocese of Kumbakonam, India. Each year we learn about worldwide missionary ministries and next weekend will be no different. I ask for your hospitable welcoming of our brother and your prayerful considerations in supporting his mission appeal. Fish Bowls will be out at each of our churches to accept your donations. If you would like to write a check, please make it out to either Saint Catherine of Siena or The Church of the Transfiguration. Thank you for your consideration. This same weekend we will remember in prayer those who have died in the past year and whose funerals were celebrated in our parishes. Saturday morning, at 10 AM, we will have a mass at Transfiguration and that evening at Saint Catherine of Siena during the 5:30 PM and Sunday morning at the 10:45 AM mass, our beloved will be remembered. I hope you can join me as we celebrate our great faith with Jesus welcoming the faithfully departed to join Him in eternal life. Monday, November 2nd is the Feast of All Souls. This sacred occasion in our faith will be marked with an All Souls Day Supper and Prayer Service held at Saint Catherine of Siena. This is part of our ongoing Faith Community Nights. Everyone is welcome to participate. Dinner is at 6 PM in the Parish Center and the Prayer service will follow at 7 PM in Church. If you can make the dinner please contact Anne Gallagher, Karen Luke or our parish offices to let us know so we can make arrangements. Children are welcome and we have great parish leaders who will care for them during dinner and during the service if you wish. Our gathering will be another opportunity to remember our beloved who have died. I hope you will be able to join us for these special remembrances of our beloved! And, you like myself, are consistently praying for our family members, friends, and others in need of our prayer for healing. May we continue to lift up Pope Leo for his healing and recovery. I continue to fervently pray for Mary, Jeanne, Clarence, Steven, Natalie, and so many others I know and love, and those some of you have asked me to intimately remember in my prayers and masses. The power of prayer is amazing and I never doubt what we can do together as a prayerful community of believers. May we never stop in calling upon our Divine Brother, Jesus, to accompany our beloved in their need. May we pray for each other to bless our lives, our health, our stewardship, and to support our two wonderful communities of faith!  Joys to you, Father Rob

Dear Friends, This very weekend men from both Saint Catherine of Siena and Transfiguration parishes are on retreat. The retreat is taking place at Notre Dame Retreat House overlooking beautiful Canandaigua Lake. It is a perfect setting for spiritual reflection, prayer, relaxation, good food, and often being led by a wonderful speaker. Indeed these men will be led by a wonderful speaker, our very own Deacon Mike Piehler. How blessed we were last weekend to have Mike preach. He always has an inspiring message to share. He has a way to break open the word of the Lord and leave us with much to reflect upon. This past weekend was no different as he guided in deeper understanding about the story of the wedding feast and the man not dressed properly. Taking Mike’s opening and closing of his homily, “It counts”, left me with much to keep reflecting upon in my own life. That being said, our men on retreat are being led by Mike. His theme for these gentlemen is “Where Is The Good News?” I am confident our brothers will bring Mike’s words into their hearts and souls. Let’s keep Mike and everyone joining him in our prayers. God bless these days with the Holy Spirit enriching each one’s spiritual journey. This Sunday is World Mission Sunday. Thank you to all who will make a donation. As Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to proclaim the Kingdom of God, your donations help bring that same Good News throughout the world today! Our sisters and brothers who offer their lives as missionaries are successful because of the work of the Holy Spirit and your support. Again, thank you for your prayers, support, and goodness! Our Catholic Ministries Appeal is off to a good start. “All Things New, Embracing Our Mission In Christ” is a perfect theme this year. A few examples where our participation supports this theme follows: Our participation brings the Mission of Christ with new life in educating our youth and young adults in Catholic faith. It prepares and continues to enrich our Deacons and Pastoral leaders. It supports our seminarians who will hopefully one day be present to serve our parish communities. Thank you to those who have already responded to this year’s CMA. To those who haven’t made a pledge as of today, please prayerfully consider one and join myself and those who have done so. Together, I am sure our parishes can have another successful year! Blessings to all, Father Rob