As you may have already heard, this past Monday, September 18, my maternal Grandmother Mary Church passed into eternal life. I truly appreciate all of the prayers and continued support and understanding during this time. I spent the week with family and friends in Erie as we prepared for the funeral services.
An important bit of information that we should all be aware of: on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 2:18 PM, FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Why am I telling you about this? Because it has not been widely publicized, and it can and will have ramifications even in our area. This alert that will be sent out is called the “Presidential Alert.” Every television and radio station will play the normal alert. The major difference is that every cell phone will receive a special push notification with vibration and sound. Even if the phone does not have cell service, any cellular telephone turned on will receive this message. Every phone, even if on silent, will buzz and make noise. If you know someone who has a secondary phone, make sure to alert them of this. To prevent receiving this notification, the cell phone will need to be turned off at least 30 minutes before the alert is sent and remain off for at least four hours after the test is sent. The message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” I share this with you so that when everyone’s phones goes off, you aren’t surprised! If for some reason the alert cannot go through on October 4, the makeup day for the alert is October 11.
On October 7 at noon in the upper parking lot at church, we will have a pet blessing. All pets are welcome for a quick blessing, but please make sure to leash your animals!
Don’t forget! The DME retreat is this November! All are welcome to register. More information is in today’s bulletin!
Here are a couple of thoughts for the week ahead: Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones that we’ve missed. Excuses will always be there for you; opportunities won’t.
Pax et Bonum, Fr. Andy
