From the Pastor
June/14/2009
What a great evening we had at the 1st Annual “Crawfish Boil,” put on by the Committee for the Underwriters for the next Parish School Auction. The rain and thunder didn’t scare away the good number of people who came out to help support our kids and their parish school. There was plenty of shrimp and crawfish and corn, and the beverages and pure
Cajun music made it a great evening! Our usual good cooks always know how to have fun behind the scenes and create quite a sensational feast. Our wonderful women really outdid themselves in planning and executing this bash. May God bless the hard-working Moms and Dads and those members of our Home and School Association who came to support us as well as our maintenance crew and all others who helped to make this new event a success!
Our annual Vacation Bible Camp concluded this past Friday. Once again, our little children thoroughly enjoyed themselves while learning how they too can become an apostle by following the example of St. Paul. I offer a heartfelt “Thank You”, to the core team of Julie D’Addio, Cathy Fradkin, Jennifer Levenson, Marjorie Robinson, Kim Weber, and to the may volunteers, adults, teens and youngsters, who assisted them in making this a memorable experience
(their names mentioned elsewhere in the bulletin).
This Sunday marks the Solemn Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Though we have the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed all year long in our beautiful Perpetual Adoration Chapel, we have a chance as a parish family to celebrate this feast in a special way. There will be a special Eucharistic Procession following this Sunday’s 11:00 Mass. Come join us in this celebration.
The Vatican has announced that during the “Year for Priests,” which will run June 19, 2009 – June 19, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI will grant plenary indulgences to priests and the faithful. The year begins with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 19th), “a day of priestly sanctification,” according to a press release from the Vatican. On that day, the Holy Father “will celebrate Vespers before relics” of St. Jean Marie Vianney, patron saint of priests. The Year will end in St. Peter's Square, in the presence of priests from all over the world "who will renew their faithfulness to Christ and their bonds of fraternity." The means to obtain the plenary indulgence are:
(A) All truly penitent priests who, on any day, devotedly pray the official Morning or Evening Prayer of the Church before the Blessed Sacrament exposed to public adoration, or in the tabernacle, and offer themselves with a ready and generous heart for the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Penance, will be granted a Plenary Indulgence (a full remission of the temporary punishment due to sin), which they can also apply to their deceased confreres, if in accordance with current norms they take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. Priests are furthermore granted a Partial Indulgence, also applicable to deceased confreres, every time they devotedly recite the prayers duly approved to lead a saintly life and to carry out the duties entrusted to them.
(B) All truly penitent Christian faithful who, in church or oratory, devotedly attend Holy Mass and offer prayers to Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mold them to His Heart, are granted a Plenary Indulgence (a full remission of the temporary punishment due to sin), on the condition that they have expiated their sins through Sacramental Confession and prayed in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. This may be done on the opening and closing days of the Year of Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by
the bishop of the diocese for the good of the faithful.
(C) The elderly, the sick and all those who for any legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain a Plenary Indulgence ( a full remission of the temporary punishment due to sin) if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions,* "on
the days concerned, they pray for the sanctification of priests and offer their sickness and suffering to God through Mary, Queen of the Apostles."
(D) Additionally, a partial indulgence will be offered to the faithful each time they pray five “Our Father,” “Hail Mary” and “Glory Be,” prayers or any other duly approved prayer "in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to ask that priests maintain purity and sanctity of life." I will be celebrating these feasts in Rome and Poland, and certainly will include your intentions as I offer Mass in those special shrines: St. Peter’s in Rome, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Padre Pio, and at St. Faustina’s tomb and at the Shrine of the Black Madonna in Czestochowa. * = Sacramental reception of Penance, the worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist, and the three prayers for the Holy Father’s intentions: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.
Very Rev. Canon Tom