Pentecost VIII
Listen to an extra sermon this week: St. Peter’s Chains & the Church’s
……
The following weekday Masses will be webcast this week: (This is not an exhaustive list of Masses. Click “Download the Bulletin” for additional Mass times.)
Mon: 5:00 PM
Tue: 8:00 AM
Wed: 8:00 AM
Thu: 8:00 AM
Fri: 8:00 AM
Bishop’s Corner
This past week began with a good “Summer Sunday” to end July and the month of the Precious Blood. We started August on Monday with the High Mass of St. Peter’s Chains, praying for the chains which bind St. Peter’s Chair to be loosed, and a true pope restored to us in our day. Do you remember to pray for this important intention every day? Do you remember to pray?
Thanks to those who prayed with us on First Friday and who kept watch with the Eucharistic Christ exposed in the Monstrance all night long leading into First Saturday. This Saturday evening is your next opportunity to keep watch with Christ as we publicly pray the mysteries of Mary’s rosary, praying for peace.
Saturday evening also opens an extraordinary triduum of graces for Our Lady’s greatest feast, her Assumption into Heaven. After the Saturday evening Rosary, we have Sunday’s afternoon Vespers of the Assumption with Benediction to open the feast. Monday’s annual “Family Day” will see us gather at the Brueggemann memorial grotto (blessed just two years ago on the Assumption) for the blessing of flowers, after which we will process into church, led by the children who stand for angels, who will lay the flowers in Our Lady’s Tomb. Remember to bring baskets of garden “first fruits” as well as flowers and herbs to be blessed. After the Pontifical Assumption Mass with our visiting seminarians as sacred ministers, you are invited to a family breakfast in Helfta Hall. We close the feast Monday afternoon with Rosary, Mass and Benediction. May these days of grace bring us closer to Our Lady and her heavenly home, right at her Son’s side.
Fr. McGuire is away to France for a few days vacation to visit our brethren there, and some of that blessed land’s many shrines and saints. This kind of travel is good to maintain our Catholic “family unity” of faith and charity. It also serves as an effective way to counter those who wish only to divide and isolate Catholics today, even as it cheers and refreshes both those who go and those who stay.
Bishop Sanborn’s Sisters of St. Thomas Aquinas are currently on retreat in Florida, and will be there for their Profession ceremonies on August 15th. How grateful we are for their presence and help for the Girls’ Camp, as well as for all of the good they do. Remember them these days. Later this month the Sisters will be sponsoring a Family Camp, which will be attended by some Cincinnati Catholics.
How are you doing with the heat this summer? Fr. McGuire reports it was especially warm at St. Hugh’s Church in Milwaukee for a while recently. Someone stole the air conditioner! I gather the copper coils draw thieves. Poor souls! The men there have a new one in place, and theft proofed with a nice secure box. We’re hoping the insurance covers it, too.
We’re also hoping that Caravaggio, our wandering cat, returns soon. Puccini misses his brother and bud! Caravaggio does tend to worry everyone by going off unannounced, from time to time. Cats aren’t the only ones to wander, of course, and we must try to keep a loving light on with patient prayer for our wanderers to return home.
Don’t forget beloved St. Philomena on Thursday!
We priests remember all of you, and all of our wandering cats and Catholics, in our daily prayers.
With a blessing in Mary’s Heart
–Bishop Dolan