Our midday Wednesday Mass will start later this week. It will start at 12:30 PM following the Inauguration and will be streamed live and posted online.
Parish Project for Black History Month: Learning about and Praying for Black Americans on the Road to Sainthood
Fr. Smith and the Parish Pastoral Council would like to let you know about an upcoming parish project for Black History Month, which is next month, to learn about and pray for Black Americans on the road to sainthood.
The US Catholic Bishops highlights six Black Americans, who are under consideration to be recognized as saints. For each of the four weekends in February, we will include a brief write-up in the parish email about one of these six individuals and will pray for the person at that Sunday’s Mass by using his/her prayer and including a petition for his/her sainthood candidacy in the Prayers of the Faithful.
Continue reading “Parish Project for Black History Month: Learning about and Praying for Black Americans on the Road to Sainthood”Chaplain Pitegoff’s Reflection for Friday’s Novena
We were honored to have our friend Chaplain Barry Pitegoff join us last night for our Novena for Our Country where he spoke about how welcoming strangers is a path to peace for this time. Below is the text of his reflection.
Continue reading “Chaplain Pitegoff’s Reflection for Friday’s Novena”Thursday Book Club: Fratelli Tutti
The Thursday night book club is reading Pope’s recent encyclical Fratelli Tutti, the Pope’s recent social encyclical on important contemporary issues.
This Thursday at 7 PM, we will discuss Chapter 7, “Paths of Renewed Encounter” (paragraphs 225-270) and be joined by Larry Chapp, theologian and owner/manager of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm in Harveys Lake, PA. You can read one of Larry’s recent articles on Pope Francis here.
A Call that Will Ring People’s Ears
The Calling of Samuel, Joshua Reynolds, c. 1776
Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 3:3b-10
January 17, 2021
We know that a moment is important in Jewish History when the LORD calls someone to do his will. We have seen the call of prophets and patriarchs. They know that they will be involved with something big and usually wish to opt out. God however knows who he wants, and no excuses are acceptable.
The situation today is the turn from a clan-based leadership structure to a real monarchy. We examined this a few weeks ago. To briefly review, from roughly 1350 to 1050 BC, the Hebrews were a loose coalition of tribes with similar religious beliefs and a shared dietary code. They desired to be as independent as possible but often needed to unite to fight a common enemy. At this time, they would determine a leader – a war chief – who world organize an army and lead it until they won or lost. This leader was called a judge. This system was like the confederations around them.
Some of these however were developing a more centralized administration which allowed them to maintain a professional army placing the Hebrews at a strategic disadvantage. This would need to change but it would only be a change within their tradition if it were instituted by a holy man called by the LORD. That man was Samuel.
Evening Prayer Friday at 5 PM
Please download the worship aid to participate in Friday’s evening prayer. It will begin immediately following the Novena for our Country, which will be said at 5 PM.
Instructions on how to join are available here.
Suggestions Welcome for Novena Prayers and Readings
More than 50 people joined for the first night of the Novena for Our Country that we are sponsoring together with St. Augustine and St. Francis Xavier. The novena is being said nightly via Zoom at 5 PM through next Tuesday. For more information, see the “Invitation to Novena for Our Country”. Don’t worry if you missed the first night, you are welcome to join in.
As I mentioned last night, I have received wonderful suggestions for prayers and readings for upcoming nights of the novena. I encourage you to keep emailing them to me, [email protected]. This has truly been a communal effort in a time that certainly needs one, and I see my role for this novena as primarily being editor.
Format
Please make your suggestions based on the following format:
A. Entrance Antiphon: Short scripture verse
B. Opening Prayer: Collects from the Roman Missal are appropriate; as well as the several suggestions from the Book of Common Prayer (1928 and 1976)
C. Reading: Most suggestions to date have been from Fratelli Tutti chapter 5. We will use these until Thursday. Other ideas welcome. We have had one from Bishop Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and one from St Pope John Paul 2nd. Please give enough text to supply some background.
C. Scripture response: Keep it short and simple.
D. Concluding Prayer: People have been very creative.
E. Final Blessing: This is the only part that will be said by a priest.
Please make your suggestions based on the following format:
A. Entrance Antiphon: Short scripture verse
B. Opening Prayer: Collects from the Roman Missal are appropriate; as well as the several suggestions from the Book of Common Prayer (1928 and 1976)
C. Reading: Most suggestions to date have been from Fratelli Tutti chapter 5. We will use these until Thursday. Other ideas welcome. We have had one from Bishop Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and one from St Pope John Paul 2nd. Please give enough text to supply some background.
C. Scripture response: Keep it short and simple.
D. Concluding Prayer: People have been very creative.
E. Final Blessing: This is the only part that will be said by a priest.
I have included the readings until Thursday below, but you can send prayers whether they fit these readings or not for future use. There will be a special emphasis on Mary for Saturday.
Let us support each other in this most difficult and dangerous time.
I remain
In Christ,
Fr. Bill Smith