Epiphany III
Daily Sermons
January 16 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Sts. Marcellus and Macarius
January 19 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Martyrs of Christian Burial
January 20 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Henry and the Spirit of Humility
January 22 – Fr. McKenna – St. Vincent
January 23 – Fr. McGuire – St. Raymond, Patron of Confessors
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Bergoglio, the “nope” (“no pope” of the Novus Ordo) insulted big families as rabbit-like and irresponsible on his way back from Manilla, and remarked that three children sounded about right to him. Later on the blowback forced the wily Jesuit politician to backtrack a little, since the German rabbit raisers objected, among others. A fine preparation for January 22!
Meanwhile our politicians of the Republican denomination observed the day by pulling a much touted bill which would have forbidden abortion after twenty weeks. It seems the Grand Old Party fears offending the women whose votes they need for the next election. Talk about “bait and switch”! Another rally, anyone? I think we’ll stick with our rosaries.
We had a beautiful day of prayer with the children and a few adults last Thursday, offering reparation for this horrendous crime, mandated by the Federal Government, which has created in our culture a strange new world of staggering dimensions in its anti life, anti marriage, anti nature excess for which we will and are paying. But the important thing, you see, is to elect a Republican to the White House next time around. These people are more dangerous than those who are openly anti life and anti God.
Thank God for the voices of innocent children and the Holy Child of God Who renews His Sacrifice of reparation and impetration daily on our altars. It is due to such persevering prayer, and Our Lady’s ladder to heaven, the rosary, that we have seen at least the closing down of many abortuaries in our land. Still, the damage has been done to God’s glory, to the children slain in the womb, and to our country, and through our empire’s hegemony to all the world. Miserere Domine! Pray for the conversion of America.
We had a Baptism last week, and a funeral, both of which took us back, as well as symbolizing continued growth. A great granddaughter of Margaret O’Brian was baptized. This quiet devout lady gets much of the credit for restoring Catholicism in the Tristate area in the 1970’s, organizing Catholics to resist the new religion, and bringing in Fr. Francis Fenton and his Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement to offer Mass and serve souls in those early days. On Wednesday we had the funeral of Kim LeBlanc, once an active parishioner and rosary maker. Always a quiet man, Kim had been sick and suffering in a nursing home for years. His funeral drew only a handful of family and three faithful, because he had been sick so long.
But our faithful children and teachers and priests were there, and all did their best to bury an otherwise forgotten Catholic with all of the beauty of the Church’s rites, and all of the power of her suffrages. I’m so proud of all who helped, and that a small funeral is just as grand as a great one at St. Gertrude the Great. What a lesson the little ones thus receive, even as they give as only they can. Thank you for your generous giving which makes our great little school, now larger than ever, possible.
Did you hear all the noise and ruckus at the 11:30 Sunday? No it was not the children, but the raccoons. But I think we may have trapped the mother, and it’s been quiet at Vespers of late. Now if only we get the squirrels up front, by the altar…. Stay tuned for further reports, or, better yet, come to church during the week and hear for yourself.
What a beautiful winter break we had last week, mild sunny days when usually the weather is at its worst! Thank God for that, and remember that we do pray to the Infant of Prague for this intention, and so many others, especially our children, our families, and the reign of Christ the King.
The novena season is in full swing at church. The Infant of Prague Novena continues Friday evenings before Mass, and this Friday we open the Sorrowful Mother Novena with Blessing of the Sick. Our Twelve Sundays of the Mother of Good Counsel close today, with our continued gratitude, as does the Chair of Unity Octave. Let us resolve on the missionary conquest of the world for Christ.
But missioners must be formed and trained, and those currently in circulation withdrawn regularly for retreading. This is the idea of a retreat. The young Fathers here will join the seminarians for the annual retreat this week, the old Fr. Cekada being left to mind the store. Please pray for a good retreat. We’ll be considering St. Francis of Assisi and de Sales….but definitely not Francis the Nope, as Fr. Francis Fenton would say.
Speaking of retreats, our annual children’s retreat day is set for Wednesday, March 25, the feast of the Annunciation. Mark your calendars now. Is there any interest in a Saturday morning Lenten retreat day?
Even though I’ll be doing a lot of talking, I always look forward to the retirement and prayer of the seminary retreat. But I’ll try to steer clear of Bishop Sanborn’s pitch meter. They had it on the other day and guess who got nabbed? Our own Music Director and organist, Fr. Cekada! That’s like the traffic judge being caught speeding. I would probably break the meter.
Our newest missionary, Fr. Nkamuke, stays in regular touch, and is getting himself established and making converts. One of the problems we face is that of very high shipping costs, which make sending things to Nigeria, especially books, prohibitively expensive. God grant a solution.
And God grant you a good ending to January, and a blessed feast of our city’s Patron Saint, Francis de Sales. We’ll be offering his Solemn Mass this year on his octave day, next week. Next week too we conclude Christmas with Candlemas, the dramatic Mass of Candles, the coming of the Light, as well as of our annual Winter Soup Supper. I’ll be getting out my soup making gear, and I hope you will too. Lent will soon be here so let us celebrate together a little beforehand.
I am sending a blessing with a plea for prayers for your priests and future priests.
Bishop Dolan