My Dear Parishioners, Last week, I began my general pastoral explanation of the Mass with the purpose and order of the entrance procession: Incense, cross, candles, deacon with Book of the Gospels, clergy, presiding celebrant. One of the most colossal examples of a thurible (âincense burnerâ) is the âBotafumeiroâ (literally, âsmoke expellerâ) hanging in the […]
Dear Fellow Parishionersâ Over the next several weeksâ or however long it takes– I would like to do something Iâve been thinking about for some time, which is to provide a general outline and explanation of certain features of the Mass. For many of us âcradle Catholics,â there are some things we learned long ago […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, At the risk of leaving someone out, I would like to thank the many members of our parish community who each played their part in making our first celebration of Easter in two years a memorable and beautiful one. Our Flower Committee plans Easter, weeks in advance and swings into action on […]
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– Dear Fellow Parishioners, First, I would like to thank all those who helped prepare and celebrate Palm Sunday. As on most any other Sunday, we had six Masses with six different musical settings. Even in a simplified form, it still takes a small army of people to prepare the palms and make it all […]
Holy Week is now upon us. Lent, and Holy Week in particular, resonate deeply with nearly all of us. The Lenten symbols and practices (Friday abstinence, Stations of the Cross, abstaining from reciting the Gloria or speaking âAlleluiaâ in the church, etc.) are imprinted in our hearts. One of the most memorable customs I remember […]
Nearly past the mid-Lent mark, we rejoice with you on this Laetare Sunday of Lent. Our redemption is at hand and God’ mercy is endless! On this Holy Sunday, we share our second Vespers hymn that we sing: O Jesus Christ, From Thee Began. The text contains the sentiments of every Christian soul during this […]
One of my strong memories growing up was reading the Picture Book of the Saints. I loved their stories and it was through that book I picked my patron Saint, St. Teresa. During the extra time Iâve had at home this past year, Iâve spent more time reading and in prayer. I would like to […]