Wende Aubrey

Trunk or Treat and Chili Supper

Join us on Saturday, October 25th after the 5PM Mass for a Chili Supper in the Xavier Center and Trunk or Treat in the parking lot. RSVP or sign up to donate a dessert HERE. If you are a parent of a 6th, 7th, or 8th grade CFF student, or would like to help with preparing and/or serving chili, you can sign up a for a shift through Sign-Up Genius.

VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTIONS – Parents/Children who have volunteered, meet Wende Aubrey and Lisa Pence in the Xavier Center at the start of your shift for instructions.

PARKING INSTRUCTIONS- Trunk or Treat will begin shortly after the 5PM Mass. Arrive EARLY and park your car in the designated area behind the RE building BEFORE Mass. The High School Youth Group will direct the traffic flow in the parking lot. If you are looking for trunk decorating ideas click HERE.

IF you are NOT providing a Trunk or Treats, park on the Stringer Lane side, HWY 44 side , or by the Xavier Center. You WILL NOT be able to drive through the parking lot or behind the RE building as this is where the Trunk or Treat will occur.

“Columbo” Homily for October 18th/19th

The 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

We need a detective to figure out today’s gospel! My memory goes back to the TV detective Columbo. Each week he would wander around with his little notepad chasing down questions until he figured out the case. In Colombo’s spirit let’s figure out this gospel.

Here’s the problem, Jesus tells a parable about the necessity for us to pray always without becoming weary. How are we supposed to do that? Jesus can’t be talking about us constantly running “Hail Marys” in our heads. Intuitively we know he is talking about something deeper than this. A clue is found in his parable.

Note that Jesus tells us to pay attention to what the judge says, not what the widow does which is where our attention normally goes. The judge says, “I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.” The judge acts in his own self-interest.

We need to focus therefore on God’s self-interest. Another name for this is “God’s will.”

So, what is God’s will when it comes to us? Classic catechism: we are created to know, love, and serve God in this life and to be happy eternally with him in heaven. God’s will that we be in relationship with him.

What does this have to do with praying always? Praying always means being attentive to God always. It is more than just a prayer we recite; it is an orientation or an awareness we are called to constantly foster and expand.

Jesus teaches that the Great Commandment is to love the Lord our God with all your mind, all your heart, and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. In terms of attentiveness this translates into love the Lord your God with all your mind (be attentive to God through study), all your heart (be attentive to God through worship), and all your strength (be attentive to God through service), and love your neighbor as yourself (be attentive to God through your attentiveness to your neighbor for God chooses to get to us through us). Saying constant “Hail Marys” would probably be easier!

There is a scene from the movie, “The Passion of Christ,” that comes to my mind. It is the scene at the moment when Jesus surrenders his Spirit to the Father from the cross at Calvary. The earthquakes, lightning strikes, the temple tapestry is ripped in two, and there is a camera shot of Satan screaming from a pit where he is now chained.

Theologically this scene speaks to the reality that when Jesus sacrifices his life for us on the cross, death itself is destroyed… the dead-end result of our sin (death) becomes our new passageway to eternal life.

The scene also captures the reality that now Satan has only one way to keep us from God, only one way to thwart God’s will to be in relationship with us. All Satan can now do is distract us from our relationship with God – distract, preoccupy, despair, and deter our attention. These are now Satan’s tools.

Why does Satan do this? Because Satan knows that if we are constantly attentive to God in our life, we will discover that God is there for us in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. We will discover that God is faithful, and our trust in God’s reliability will grow.

Remember what Pope Francis called trust in God’s reliability; he calls it “faith.” This explains the Gospel’s closing question, “Will the Son of Man find faith on earth?” If we foster a constant awareness of God in our lives, if we “pray always,” then faith will grow as our relationship with God deepens.

Mother Teresa once said, “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at his disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts.

Stay attentive!

SFX Food Drives

Right now, many families in our area are facing food insecurity. Your contribution to our upcoming food drives can make a real difference. We’re collecting the following non-perishable food items to help restock Community Ministry’s Food Pantry and provide Christmas food baskets through our SFX Outreach Ministry. Both organizations have provided a list of their most needed items.

Donations can be brought to the Parish Office or left in the Gathering Space of church.

October 17th – November 15thNovember 16th – December 14th
Community MinistriesHS Youth Group / SFX Outreach
Tomato Sauce, Pasta, Hamburger/Tuna Helper, & Peanut ButterInstant Potatoes, Stuffing, Gravy, Canned Vegetables & Fruit, Mac & Cheese, Canned Soup, Cake/Cookie Mix, Frosting, & Aluminum Foil

MY OWN CHURCH Now Available

St. Francis Xavier is now using a new system, called My Own Church, for registering and updating your family information! Visit louisville.parishsoftfamilysuite.com through the link below to create your account.

Once approved, you will receive an email indicating that your account is open and ready for you to review. You will have the ability to update all your family information, including names,
addresses, phone numbers, emails, and even a family photo. You can also choose to keep some information private and available only to church administrators.

Support Little Way

In honor of Respect Life Month, we will be hosting the annual Baby Bottle Boomerang to support the life-saving work of Little Way Pregnancy Center.

For over 40 years, Little Way has served the women and families in this community – offering free medical services, love, and support for those facing unexpected pregnancies, parenting classes, baby closet items, and support groups for single mothers and fathers, as well as help for those in need of healing from a past abortion.

Empty baby bottles are located in the Gathering Space. Pease return your bottles filled with donations by the weekend of October 25/26th.

All proceeds will benefit the life-saving work of Little Way. Thank you for your support.

Young Adult Mass and Catholic Networking Fair – Oct 8th

The Young Catholic Professionals Louisville Chapter, in partnership with the Office of Youth and Young Adults, is hosting a Young Adult Mass and Community Networking Fair on Tuesday, October 8, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Assumption (433 S. Fifth Street). Archbishop Shelton Fabre will preside at the Mass, which begins at 6:00 p.m. The networking fair will immediately follow in the cathedral undercroft.

Holy Family Free Health Fair, Sunday Sept 28th

The Community Health Ministry at Holy Family invites you to attend a free community event on Sept 28, 2025, at Holy Family Saffin Center (3938 Poplar Level Rd. 40213) from 11am-3pm. Over 65 exhibitors are scheduled to attend. Health screenings, Education, Community resources. Flu/Covid Vaccines by Walgreens, Medication Disposal, Norton Healthcare, Baptist Health, U of L Health, Gun Safety, Distractive Driver Simulations, Free Chair Massages, Narcan, Free Refreshments, Giveaways, Door Prizes and so much more. Collecting Non-perishable food items and new or lightly used shoes for Waterstep. All ages are welcome. Mammograms & Women Exams provided by Norton Wellness mobile clinic. (Call 502-899-6842 to schedule mammograms).

Catholic Women’s Conference – November 8th

The SFX Women’s Retreat Ministry invites women 16 years and older to participate in the Catholic Women’s Conference sponsored by the Archdiocese of Louisville. The conference/retreat will take place from 8:30AM – 2:30PM on November 8, 2025 at Holy Trinity Parish in St. Matthews. This is a wonderful way to spend time with women from our own parish as well as the surrounding faith community.

With a theme of “Wonderfully Made”, this conference offers Mass, Adoration, Confession, Speakers, Vendors, and more! The cost is $50 per person and includes lunch. Registration is open now!

Learn more or register on-line HERE.