CONGRATULATIONS FIRST COMMUNION CLASS and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
CONGRATULATIONS FIRST COMMUNION CLASS! Last weekend and this weekend, (at the 5:00pm and 9:30am Masses), 86 of our young parishioners received our Lord in Holy Communion for the first time! This is a very important event in their faith lives as they now join with the rest of the believing community in participating fully in the Celebration of the Eucharist. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains so well: The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and [...]
THE MONTH OF MARY and ALTAR SERVERS
THE MONTH OF MARY It's hard to believe that it’s already May, but here it is! As you surely know, this month is traditionally dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. As Pope Paul VI expressed so well in his encyclical entitled the Month of May, this is the "month which the piety of the faithful has especially dedicated to Our Blessed Lady," and it is the occasion for a "moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world [...]
EASTER GREETINGS
Alleluia! Our Lord is risen and offers us new life! We certainly need to hear this message this year as we finally emerge from the coronavirus pandemic but now find ourselves watching in horror the carnage and destruction resulting from the war in Ukraine. The Paschal mystery proclaims that Jesus, truly man - the son of Mary - really died on the cross and then overcame the power of death as he rose on Easter. The resurrection of the body, the central mystery of Easter, is an essential Christian doctrine. As the [...]
PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION AND HOLY WEEK
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Lk 19:38). On Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we are called to join with our Lord, Jesus Christ, as he makes a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and then suffers derision and mockery, scourging and finally crucifixion because he comes to offer a new way of life and claims to be who he truly is – the Son of God. This week is, indeed, what we Christians call it: Holy [...]
FIFTH SUNDAY LENT (Year C)
Isaiah 43:16 - 21 On the first Sunday of Lent, we heard Moses recall the power of God leading the people to Egypt and then out of Egypt into the Promised Land. On the Second Sunday, we heard of God making a covenant with Abraham, in which he promised him that land. On the Third Sunday, we heard the powerful story of God revealing himself to Moses in the desert, telling Moses that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Last Sunday, we heard Joshua recall the time [...]
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT (Year C)
We have reached the Fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday. Like Gaudete Sunday in Advent, we rejoice this Sunday because Lent is almost over. The Entrance Antiphon, which we will not hear because we will sing an Entrance Chant, begins with “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who are mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.” This short passage from the prophet Isaiah (cf. 66:10-11) sets the stage for today’s celebration. In both the first reading from the Book of Joshua [...]