The Holy Name of Jesus
Bishop’s Corner
Christmas, its vigil and holy night, its day and feasts and octave, all passed peacefully, in great beauty and quiet and spiritual joy. Even the light, “Christmasy” snow did not hold people back too much, but served rather as a charming backdrop to the feast. Our attendance was excellent, and all of those who stood in attendance on the newborn King served Him splendidly, whether in actual serving, or singing, or setting things up, or cleaning. Most of all, we all served Him in prayer, our hearts full of holy hope.
An old friend, Les Palmerville of Dayton, returned to church to play the carols for the 11 AM Mass, as he did the previous year. Another gentlemen from Dayton has organized the string quartet for the 9 AM Mass for many years. Each year we are thrilled to offer God such beauty on the birthday of His Son. How fine the choir sounded for Midnight Mass.
We had our largest attendance ever for Childermas, Holy Innocents’ Day. A great strong choir of children sang the Mass for the first martyrs. The little ones were blessed after Mass, and given a scapular of the Little Child Jesus, Doctor of the Sick. After filling Helfta Hall for a fine lunch, the children had a nice, long poem-story, “The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t,” both dramatic and funny, for which they sat pretty well. Each child received a little holy gift from some exotic locale (France or Mexico or New Mexico) as we concluded this wonderful day together. God bless our children.
Richard Weik, whose funeral is Tuesday, was an old-timer who had been away from the church for many years, but returned these last few months. Deo Gratias. Never stop praying for all of our fallen away, as well as for our faithful departed, and sick. Ernie Nellenbach gave us a bit of a scare on Christmas, but now seems to be doing better.
Please continue to pray for Christ the King Abbey in Alabama to profess the Catholic faith fearlessly and in all of its fullness, and not to go under the Novus Ordo or One World Church. There was a scare last week, but already your prayers may have had an effect. Please make a novena to the Little King, the Infant of Prague, for Christ the King Monastery, its monks and nuns and superiors.
In your charity, please pray the same way for the Pius X Society. Bishop Fellay says they are actively pursuing full union with the modern church, and that it will come in time. Pray for them as well to profess the full Catholic faith fearlessly, as of old, and to reject the church of Antichrist.
Our fathers return from their far-flung mission fields this week, and we welcome a new Father, German Fleiss, our latest priest. Fr. Fleiss will celebrate our Epiphany Appreciation Mass on First Friday evening, and bestow his first blessing next Sunday.
I send a New Year’s blessing home with you in Jesus’ name today.
–Bishop Dolan