The Crux of the Matter - October 2026

Sep 30

13 min read

Men, it’s the most wonderful month of the year.

Back to that thought in just a moment, but first, I wanted to mention that, by all accounts, we are off to a great start in our fifth year as a fraternity of men in central Missouri devoted to deepening our faith.

If you were able to attend in September, you know what I mean when I say that Father Joseph Luzindana delivered a spirited homily that challenged us to understand that we and our families are in a battle with the evil one–he is real, and he won’t stop pursuing us. Remember what St. Peter wrote, “Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” I think we have been given due warning.

The good news is that God is omnipotent, and he will never quit pursuing us. The evil one, through the temptation to immerse ourselves in the secular culture, lures us with fleeting self satisfaction, but God delivers everlasting joy.

Whose side do we choose?

Praise God that we can easily lead ourselves and our families to everlasting joy if we but follow His commands and accept the grace that He lavishly pours out on us.

One way we can make sure we are prepared to combat the evil one is through the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in our homes, which over a dozen of our men did during the month of September. The Enthronement is a most rewarding devotional practice that dates back to its approval in 1908 by Pope Pius X.

I very, very much encourage all men in the Men of Signum Crucis to enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your homes. It will be a daily reminder to you of the victory we will gain if we follow His Sacred Heart and set aside the ways of the secular culture–and all who enter your home will know that you and your family mean business when it comes to your faith. You will make a commitment to attending Mass as often as you can, and it will be a continual source of inspiration to your family and friends.

Click here to access this 3-day devotional that will surely change your life and the lives of those around you:

https://lp.catholicvote.org/america250-resources-enthrone#download

If you intend to participate, I would love to hear your stories about what image you enthroned in your home.

And now, getting back to the most wonderful month of the year……

It’s fall, but even more, it’s the month of the year when the Church memorializes the Blessed Virgin Mary and so many very important saints, such as

● St. Therese of Lisieux (today)

● the Holy Guardian Angels (tomorrow)

● St. Faustina Kowalska (October 5)

● Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7)

● St. John Henry Newman (October 9)

● St. Teresa of Jesus (October 15)

● St. Ignatius of Antioch (October 17)

● Sts. John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues (October 19)

● Sts. Simon and Jude (October 28)

● and, of course, All Hallows Eve (October 31), which sets up the solemnity of All Saints’ Day on November 1

I hope you will select certain feast days this month to attend Mass (see the section on Mass times below).

The feast days this month remind me of the great progress that the St. Peter Cemetery Service Group, under the leadership of Nick Dolson, has made this summer. Through several hot Saturday mornings since May 15, the crew has made very noticeable improvements to the appearance of over 150 tombstones. These tombstones mark the burial of our own local saints (we pray!), and we continue to pray for their souls as we attempt to fulfill one piece of the Corporal Works of Mercy. Thanks also to Ed Carter and Rich McCarty, for their above and beyond work in the cemetery, and to Edith Vogel and Butch Ruprecht, our benefactors, for their assistance in making this endeavor possible.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

O Holy Guardian Angels, pray for us!

Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, pray for us!

Amen.

Our Next Gathering–October 21, 2026–at the Colonel Bolton Home

Men, I have decided to try something completely out of the ordinary, which includes a change of location for the October 21 gathering. Instead of gathering at Helias, Jude and Mary Markway will host us at the Colonel Bolton Home on their property. Weather permitting, we hope to have a bonfire and the opportunity to hear some brief faith testimonies by some of the Men of Signum Crucis. This event will be unlike any other gathering we have hosted in our four-year history. Food will be provided, as always, but feel free to bring your own beverages. I hope you will make plans to attend this opportunity to mingle in a more informal format. You may arrive as early as 6:00 p.m., and we will conclude at 8:30 p.m. Rosary will begin around the campfire at 6:00 p.m. You might want to bring a lawn chair, because outdoor seating is limited.

Here are the directions to get to the Colonel Bolton Home:

If coming from St. Thomas, Jefferson City, or Taos,

● drive exactly 3 miles from St. Stanislaus Church toward Osage Bend on Rt. W (or exactly .3 mile past South Rock Creek Rd.)

● At the Bolton House sign on the right, turn right up the gravel road

● Toward the top of the hill, take the second left to drive in front of the historic Colonel Bolton Home.

● Drive around the back of the Bolton Home to the reception center behind, and park anywhere near the building, and join us at the campfire.

Do not follow Google Maps’ directions, since they will route you through the neighbor’s property.

Note:

● Consider carpooling to and from St. Stanislaus Church, because parking might be limited depending on the size of the crowd that evening

● When driving up the gravel road from Rt. W (and, later, back down the gravel road), maintain a speed limit of 10 MPH. I have driven this gravel road many times, and a slow, steady pace will get my 2-wheel drive Suburban up the hill without spinout every time.

Please, let’s not create extra work for our hosts, Jude and Mary Markway, especially since they are allowing us to use their reception center without charge.

Mark your calendars now to join your fraternity of men at Helias on October 21 at the Colonel Bolton Home.

Reminder to Enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Our Homes!!

Men, as I mentioned in my opening reflection above, I again remind you to enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your home yet this calendar year.

Think of the strength of our families in the Jefferson City area if all 350 Men of Signum Crucis enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their homes. If so, your children and grandchildren will more surely have safe havens to visit when they go to the homes of their friends.

May the United States be made strong by the deep faith of its people!

Support Amendment 3

Men, November 3, the day that Missouri will decide the fate of abortion in our state, is quickly approaching, and so I ask:

● “Are we each doing all that we can to ensure that abortion will no longer be legal in our state?”

● “Are we working as hard as we can to ensure the safety of our wives, children, and grandchildren (especially daughters and granddaughters)?”

● “Are we making sure that the evil one knows without doubt that we are fighting tooth and nail to defeat him?”

The Bishops of the State of Missouri have asked all people to support Amendment 3 to our Constitution, which will greatly restrict access to abortion in Missouri.

Please push the word to your family and circle of friends, place a sign in your yard or a magnet on your car, and most importantly get to the polls on November 3 to punch your ballot in favor of Amendment 3. It is essential that we Men of Signum Crucis work to protect women and children.

I distributed yard signs and car magnets at our August and September gatherings, and I have more that I will bring with me in October.

Be aware that the opposition is receiving major contributions from outside the State of Missouri, so we will see many, many signs in yards opposing Amendment 3. We must take action and show support in our yards and on our vehicles. It really makes a difference to the person who is on the fence on the issue, or questions whether he or she ought to get out to vote that day. Many who are “on the fence” will vote with the side that has more outward support (measured by the number of bumper magnets and yard signs).

Read here a five-minute article written by Archbishop Charles Chaput in Philadelphia on this issue. It’s an easy read in which he educates his readers on the relativity between sin, pointing out that the sin of murder exceeds the sin of theft, and the role we have in the political world.

For more information, click here to see the information provided by the Missouri Catholic Conference, which is guided by the four bishops of the State of Missouri (including, of course, our very own, Bishop Ralph O’Donnell).

Men, I ask you to take part in this very historic moment as we again make Missouri friendly to all women and children. Work and pray for the passage of Amendment 3.

Reasons for Hope (Part VIII)

Men, it’s hard not to be hopeful, isn’t it?

What an amazing event it was in St. Louis on September 24!

The Beatification of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, arguably the biggest day in the Catholic Church in St. Louis since Pope John Paul II’s visit there in 1999, was a rousing triumph for Jesus Christ. The procession for Mass lasted 45 minutes, as over 1,000 priests, 800 seminarians, and dozens of deacons and bishops filed in before Mass. It was a day to stir the stricken, to inspire the forlorn, to embolden the faint of heart.

I look forward to the canonization of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, which will be an even more glorious event.

Also, as you read this newsletter, I am on a Mission Trip with students of Helias Catholic High School, in South Bend, Indiana. This is the fifth year in a row that students have participated in the fall Mission Trip to South Bend. Students will serve breakfast to the homeless, assist them with clothing needs, launder clothes, and visit with them; work at a food rescue facility to prepare hundreds of meals for youth; and work in a community garden to finalize this growing season and to begin to prepare for the next one. Accommodations are spartan during the Mission Trip, as they sleep on the gym floor at St. Casimir Church, which currently serves many first generation migrants from Latin America.

All this is done with a friendly smile on their faces.

I am inspired every year I chaperone this Mission Trip, and I’m sure this one will evoke the same inspiration.

“Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

Help Needed for Ladies’ Night Out and Retreat, and for Helias’s Grandparents’ Day

Men, as we have done for the past three years, we will again provide support for the Ladies’ Night Out and Retreat on November 20 and November 21. In return, the ladies provide the same type of help at our Heart of a Hero Men’s Conference (April 2 and 3, 2027). Help needed for the Ladies Night Out and Retreat includes working the registration table, assisting at the food and beverage table, serving as bartenders, and cleaning up.

We will need approximately 12-15 men to help during these two days. Please sign up here to let me know of your plan to help:

https://forms.gle/8iW2FCT1y42rsiWG6

Also, Ron Vossen has requested help at the Helias Catholic High School annual Grandparents’ Day to assist with managing traffic flow in the parking lots during the morning of Friday, November 13 (9:30 a.m. until noon). Helias will need the help of 5-6 men. Please sign up here if you can help:

https://forms.gle/gBdxMWAEHy24Rpg49

Thank you for considering these requests for service in our area.

Men’s Retreat at St. Benedict’s Abbey this Fall

Men, we are invited to once again participate in a Men’s Retreat at St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas, which is primarily scheduled for men from the Jefferson City area. The dates of the next retreat are Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1. We will leave from Jefferson City on that Friday at noon, and will return to Jefferson City at mid-afternoon that Sunday.

Many of you met Abbott James at the June gathering–this will be your chance to pray with the monks and gain the spiritual insight of Father Jay, our retreat Master. You will not be disappointed.

I am keeping a list of potential candidates for the retreat, so let me know before all slots are filled if you are interested in attending this retreat.

If you are interested in receiving more information regarding this opportunity, or if you wish to register for the retreat, go to the Abbey’s website and fill out this form to register:

https://www.kansasmonks.org/events

I look forward to sharing this experience with you.

Men Are Needed to Fill Expanding Eucharistic Adoration Hours at the Cathedral

Men, the Cathedral of St. Joseph uses the former Carmelite Monastery Chapel as its Adoration Chapel, and currently they have Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Two people are scheduled each hour to ensure Jesus is with company at all times.

They are expanding these hours to include Tuesdays beginning at 7:00 a.m. to continue now through Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., which means they are looking for many wishing to adore Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament during overnight hours.

I challenge all Men of Signum Crucis to step forward and take an Adoration hour at a time that works for you. You will not be disappointed to have quiet time with Jesus.

I especially would challenge those who can to consider an overnight hour. I believe men (primarily) should be filling the overnight hours, since women might not feel safe out at those hours.

Anyone interested in joining Eucharistic Adoration at the Cathedral should contact Jeni Doolittle at 816-809-0713.

This is a great opportunity to help restore Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in Jefferson City in the former Carmelite Chapel that can be used exclusively for this purpose. I hope you will help start this trend toward restoring Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.

Chris Stefanick at the Cathedral on February 24

Men, mark your calendars now for a “Reboot” with Chris Stefanick at the Cathedral on Wednesday, February 24, from 6:30 p.m. till 9:00 p.m.

February is just the right time to reenergize ourselves as winter sets in and Lent has begun. I hope you will make plans to attend this pivotal event. It might just be the spark you’ll need.

Contact Man of Signum Crucis Dave Gramlich for more details.

Hope to see you there.

Chili and Soup Fundraiser for the Sisters of the Poor

Men, there is a Chili and Soup Dinner at the Knights of Columbus on Saturday, October 10, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., to benefit the Sisters of the Poor. Tickets are $15 each for this fundraiser.

I hope you can attend, and also meet Sr. Ursula Anunoby, a member of the Sisters of the Poor who is here in Jefferson City at this time.

For more information regarding the Sisters of the Poor, click here.

Set your calendars now for the 4^th Annual “Heart of a Hero”

Men’s Conference–April 2-3, 2027

Weekly Mass Schedule at the Jefferson City Parishes

It is the Eucharist that brings us the joy that we should long for. Consider inserting one or two of these daily Mass options into your schedule:

Monday: 6:30a at Immaculate Conception