September 20-21, 2025
Dear parishioners,
I announced a few weeks ago that I am now leading a men’s discernment group for boys/young men who are high school and college-aged. I mentioned that this group is scheduled to meet on the first Sunday of every month at 2:00 at St. John’s in Defiance. Sept. 7 was our first scheduled meeting, but we had only one young man show up, so we did not end up having the meeting that day. As such, I have decided to pause the meetings for a few months, and then start it back up. This pause will allow for me to spread the word better throughout the deanery, and to promote the group at the St. Andrew Dinner that will be happening in November. I will be sure to update everyone once we restart the meetings.
As I announced initially, the purpose of the deanery discernment group is firstly to help boys/young men to learn how to understand God’s will for their life in general. Secondly, the purpose is to focus in specific ways on how to know if God is calling us to serve him as priests. In the vocations of both priesthood and marriage, a man is called to lay down his life as a living sacrifice for the one he loves, and to be a courageous father for his children. When it comes to the priesthood, a man is called to lay down his life for the Church (like Jesus did!), and to foster the growth in faith of his spiritual children. These topics and many more will be the subjects of discussion in our deanery discernment group.
Of course, the above information is the perfect opportunity for me to insert an invitation for high school boys and college-age men to join the priests of our deanery for the St. Andrew Dinner that will be taking place on Wednesday, November 12 at 7:00pm. This event is intended to be a casual evening with the priests of our deanery, and their will be plenty of opportunity to ask the priests any questions whatsoever about the priesthood. There will also be materials for further reading that the attendees are welcome to take home with them. The St. Andrew Dinner is free of charge; you can register for it online at https://toledopriesthood.org/new-events. For those attending who are under 18, parents must also complete the permission form, found next to the registration link.
Regarding a different vocation, Bishop Thomas will soon be celebrating his annual Mass On the Anniversaries of Marriage. He will be celebrating this Mass on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 3:00 at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo (2535 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo). If you are celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary in 2025 – 25, 40, 50, 60, or 60+ years – then you are warmly invited to join Bishop Thomas for this special celebration. To register to attend, simply go to www.toledoanniversarymass.org. If you have any questions, or would like more information, please contact us at the parish office.
Blessings,
Fr. Ammanniti
