Circular - October 2026
Updated: 6 minutes ago
October 01, 2026
My dear collaborators,
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St Therese of the Child Jesus. It is also the Feast of our Diocese as we consider St Therese of the Child Jesus, the Patroness of our Diocese. Personally speaking, St Therese of the Child Jesus has always inspired me to be the person I am. St Therese of the Child Jesus believed that her life was really just beginning for God; her letters, autobiography, and other recollections of her life will help us to understand her “Little Way” and use it in our daily lives. Therese saw herself as a child of God. She liked to keep things simple and focussed as a child does. Trust, especially trust in God enabled St Therese to do the little things at home and in her neighbourhood in an extraordinary manner. Nothing prevented Therese from doing good. However, on June 09, 1895, Therese was unwell; she experienced the first symptoms of tuberculosis which subsequently led her to die a peaceful death at the age of 24. St Therese was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by St John Paul II in 1997 – 100 years after her death. St Therese is the third woman to be proclaimed Doctor of the Church, after St Catherine of Siena and St Teresa of Avila. May our prayer to St Therese of the Child Jesus be: “inspire me to do the little things on this earth with love today and always”.
The month of October is also called the Rosary Month: I am sure you will enthuse your parishioners to pray the Rosary at home and in the Small Christian Communities. Last year, I witnessed in some of our parishes that the Statue of Our Lady is being taken from home to home; this is indeed a beautiful practice and I would be very happy if all the parishes in our Diocese encourage this tradition of taking the Statue of Our Lady from home to home and making the visit a time of prayer in each family. Please encourage this devotion; and remind your parishioners to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
We will officially close the Season of Creation on Sunday, October 04: the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. May I suggest that you encourage and motivate your parishioners to do something in their homes and/or in their surroundings (plant a tree sapling, etc.) that would remind them that they did something concretely during the Season of Creation.
I wish to inform you that the Feast Day of St Carlo Acutis is on Monday, October 12. St Carlo Acutis is known as the “Cyber Apostle of the Eucharist” for his use of technology to spread the Gospel and his immense devotion to the Eucharist. His motto was, “to be close to Jesus that’s my life plan”. This would be a beautiful opportunity if you could get the youth of the parish and motivate them to love the Eucharist, spend time with the Eucharistic Lord in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and reach out selflessly to the poor and the needy, etc.
Mission Sunday will be celebrated in the Church on Sunday, October 18. As is the practice, envelopes will be given to you so that you could distribute the same to your parishioners and motivate them to contribute generously to the cause of the Missions. The Liturgy for Mission Sunday is enclosed herewith.
Our Franciscan Brothers and Sisters are organizing a special celebration on Tuesday, October 20 at St Anne Cathedral to commemorate the 800th Death Anniversary of St Francis of Assisi. The Transitus of St Francis of Assisi is the solemn ritual and remembrance of St Francis of Assisi’s transition from the earthly life to eternal life. To commemorate this significant moment, our Franciscan Brothers and Sisters have invited us to be part of the celebration on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 from 9.30 a.m. to 1.00.p.m. followed by lunch.
I am happy to inform you that I have already started the third round of pastoral visitation. Details of my visit will be communicated to you shortly. Visiting the parishes and listening to your pastoral concerns and experiences give me the added joy to accompany you and pray for you. It is only when I visit you in your parish that I begin to experience the struggles that some of you go through in your pastoral ministry. I wish to inform you that you have my support and good wishes as you attend to the pastoral needs of your parishioners. Personally speaking, pastoral visitation is one of my topmost priorities and I will do it as long as I can.
Permit me to remind you that I have been repeatedly informing you to visit your parishioners in a systematic manner. I am sure you are doing it. Please note that there is absolutely no substitute to pastoral visitation. It is only when we visit our parishioners will we become living witnesses of Jesus: listening to the needs of our parishioners, praying for their intentions, assuring them that they will never be forgotten and blessing them. I am pretty sure that your people will never forget this act of kindness shown to them.
As I conclude, I wish to thank you for your selfless services to the parishes and/or institutions in our Diocese. You play a significant role in animating your parishioners to become committed and dedicated disciples of the Lord Jesus. You have the assurance of my sincere prayers for you in your ministry. May the Lord Jesus continue to inspire us to walk in HIS footsteps knowing that we are called not to be served, but to a life of selfless service to the people entrusted to our care.
God bless you and with every good wish,
Yours in Christ,
✠Barthol Barretto
Bishop, Diocese of Nashik
