NEED HELP WITH CHRISTMAS TOYS? Operation Joy can help! Register now through Thursday, November 16,  M-W-F, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., or during Food Shelf appointments at Ralph Reeder Food Shelf at the Pike Lake Education Center, 2101 14^th Street NW in New Brighton. An ID, a current piece of mail, and social security cards for your children are needed to register. Call the Food Shelf at (651) 639-6021, ext. 3732, with any questions.

THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR will have their Annual Christmas Boutique on Saturday & Sunday, November 18/19, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., on both days. The sisters minister to the poor and dying, and the boutique serves as an important fundraiser: 330 South Exchange Street in Saint Paul, (651) 227-0336.

ANGEL TREE VOLUNTEERS are needed to collect and sort gifts before and after the weekend Masses on December 2/3 and 9/10. Help is also needed to  deliver gifts on Mondays, December 4 & 11, at 9:00 a.m. to Pike Lake School. If you wish to help, please call Judy Q., (651) 633-8333, ext. 1229. Confirmation students, families, and adults are all welcome to volunteer!

THE CATHEDRAL YOUNG ADULTS welcome everyone to a five-week series lead by Father Joseph Johnson, Mass Confusion: Making Sense of the Catholic Mass, on Wednesday, November 15, at 7:00 p.m. in Hayden Hall at the St. Paul Cathedral. This week's topic is Mass and the World. Call (651) 291-4488 for more information, or e-mail your request for a newsletter on the many social, spiritual, and justice activities sponsored by the Cathedral Young Adults (CYA): cya@cathedralsaintpaul.org.

A PRE-ADVENT DIVINE MERCY RETREAT will be held at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Saturday, November 18, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Father Seraphim Michalenko, from the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and Paul Regan, a regular guest on Catholic Relevant Radio, will speak at this special event. Among the many items and activities, three precious relics will be on hand: a first class relic of St. Faustina, one of St. Joseph's tunic, and one of Our Lady's veil. For more information, please call (651) 228-1766.

WHEN PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY addressed a largely anti-Catholic crowd at the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in September 1960, he promised that he would sever his Catholic faith from his political decisions. This propelled him to election as America's first Catholic president. It also influenced a generation of Catholic politicians by encouraging a gap between faith and public service that has widened to a chasm. Author and former presidential speechwriter, Colleen Carroll Campbell, will chronicle this separation between faith and works in Catholic politics, its consequences, and the possibilities for a more integrated public witness: Tuesday, November 21, 7:00 p.m., at the Cathedral of St. Paul (free!). Call (651) 228-1766 for more information.

OXFAM AMERICA is asking all of us to skip a meal before Thanksgiving to remind ourselves of how it feels to have an empty stomach, and to commit ourselves to working locally and globally to end hunger. Let's keep St. John's and the Ralph Reeder Food Shelves stocked! Bless you.

... a social group for divorced, widowed, and single men and women. The door is open; you're always welcome! Call Anne Marie for information, (651) 633-8333, ext. 1237.

Upcoming Events:

Sunday Walking - 3:30 PM @ Central Park, Roseville: Meet in Lexington Avenue parking lot, south of County Road C. Over 45 singles group invites adults to walk, talk & meet new friends. Every Sunday (weather permitting); call Bob at (651) 690-4162.

500 Game Nights - 1^st & 3^rd Thursdays of each month from 7:00 - 9:00 PM in Room 210; meet at fireplace area near the main entrance. Call Carol, (763) 572-0346.