Purification of Our Lady
If you enjoyed last week’s sermon about Fr. Damien, join us in another warm weather destination: “The Catholic History of Florida, the Palm Sunday State.”
Simon holds his candle during the Candlemas procession.
Daily Sermons
January 27 – Bp. Dolan – Little Latin & Less Greek
January 28 – Fr. Lehtoranta – The Golden Age of Europe
January 29 – Fr. McKenna – St. Francis de Sales, Lover of Truth
January 30 – Bp. Dolan – You’re Never Stuck – Pour Souls
January 31 – Fr. McGuire – Strong St. John Bosco
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
I think Our Lord sent us a “warm weather window” last Sunday so we could make it to Mass, but many, worn down by such a Winter and so many “first weather warnings” didn’t. Of course there are many factors, but some I fear just decided, as people will, not to go out to church. Safest thing. The Protestants cancelled theirs. The weather was fine.
By afternoon, as predicted, the sun was out, the snow melted some, and a few hours of mildness refreshed us before the next Arctic airflow. But by then the church window was closed for most until next week. No imagination! It would have seemed odd to grab a jacket and come on out to the 5:45, especially because we were only 24 hours from the next subzero blast.
Well, by God’s grace and your generosity (heating bills!) we are surviving such a Winter as God sends us, and blessing Him still. Today we conclude our Christmas with the charming Candlemas, light upon light to honor the Light of the World. Next week the candles will be blessed for St. Blaise, and applied as a prayerful protection to our throats. Tomorrow we begin the not inconsiderable task of putting away all of the Christmas decorations in a nice, neat and orderly fashion. Could you help us for a little?
This evening’s Super Bowl needn’t detain us, but some purer and truer form of play is a necessity for all creatures, from bored cats to children to citizens of the senior variety. What a nice afternoon we had last Sunday during the overlooked warm spell! Games aplenty were played in Helfta Hall. We should do it again. Caravaggio gets bored with Scrabble, but did take advantage of the afternoon’s weather to do a little hunting. Eventually he bagged a mouse, whose frozen viscera showed up on the porch Monday morning.
On Wednesday we sang a Solemn Mass to honor St. Francis de Sales, our patron and protector both in this Archdiocese, and in our apostolate of the press. May he help us gently to assert Catholic truth, and sanctify ourselves and others in all charity. Of course, you have to read for this to work. Thus February is traditionally Catholic Press Month. Review Bishop Sanborn’s latest article on “why it all matters” ( January seminary newsletter), these particular points of ours which separate us from the pack: the glory of God, Divine Revelation, Catholic truth. Not small change!
I wish to thank Eldon Neukam for his fidelity as volunteer church custodian over these ten years since we moved into our new church in June of 2004. He retired last November, but leaves a real legacy of careful management and faithful, persevering, and hard work for our beautiful church both inside and out, for everything from light bulbs to landscaping, week after week and year after year. Some of us got together with Eldon for a farewell luncheon to express our thanks, which could never really be adequate. May God repay you, Eldon!
The Fathers are all here this morning for the Solemn Mass, and then the “McMissionaries” head out to the hinterlands. Fr. McGuire will visit the Sisters at St. Isidore Mission in Illinois, along with the four or five souls who comprise that mission on a good day. Fr. McKenna will collect the Chillicothe faithful for an afternoon Mass and catechism class. He was almost stranded in the subzero cold last week in Wisconsin, but the church car, which was in extremis, died peacefully in a not too inconvenient location. The faithful in North Dakota had already cancelled due to weather. We pray for good weather for our night watch with the Blessed Sacrament this First Friday, and for a milder month which may see even the first stirrings of Spring, and all of the faithful faithful for Sunday Divine Worship, that invariable duty which should be all our desire and joy.
Check your home blessed candles today. Make an offering for a fresh set. Light a votive candle for your intentions today in church. Burn bright with God’s holy light!
– Bishop Dolan