A common goal for parishes and schools is to create a healthy environment where children and families thrive. Preventing bullying is a key element to providing a safe and secure community. There are life-skills and patterns of behavior we can practice in order to strengthen our everyday commitment to healthy relating. When members know and agree to social norms of a loving Christian community, we provide an optimal environment for living, learning, and praying together.

The month of October is widely recognized as Pastor Appreciation Month, with Sunday, October 9, set aside for Clergy Appreciation Day. The day was established in 1992; Hallmark began selling cards for it in 2002.

It is difficult to go into a store this time of year and not see all the decorations and costumes for Halloween. As Catholics, we clothe ourselves in special ways also, but in the context of the Communion of the Saints. Just as children dress up like a person they would like to be like when they grow up (such as a police officer, firefighter, or doctor), we look to the saints as an example for us in our daily lives.

October is traditionally known as “Respect Life Month.” We also celebrate the Feasts of two powerful saints during October: Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4 and Saint Theresa of Avila on October 15. How can these two saints enhance our own awareness and celebration of respect for all life?

During my years as a Hospice volunteer, I had some very moving and meaningful experiences. One, in particular, stands out.

I was visiting Theresa, a patient in a nursing home, where visitations by family members or friends are often few and far between. She was Catholic and her room was filled with images of her faith. Theresa often shared her loneliness with me. One day, when she seemed weaker than usual, I asked if there was anything she wanted–water, music, prayer, a priest. She looked at me with a smile and pointed to a statue of Mary, on which hung her rosary beads.