Pentecost XVIII
The customary Piñata at this year’s Parish Picnic.
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Daily Sermons
September 21 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Matthew, Our Example in Humility
September 22 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Thomas of Villanova and Good Death
September 23 – Bp. Dolan – St. Linus & St. Thecla
September 24 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Breaking the Chains of Sin
September 25 – Fr. Lehtoranta – What is the Price of a Soul?
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Angel Sunday crowns our September each year, leading the little ones to be blessed, and us into the Month of the Angels. They are unseen, but their presence and protection are all about us. Great St. Michael, Prince of the Heavenly Host has his great feast day Tuesday. First Friday brings us our Angel Guardians. May they bring us safely and surely to church for our Communion of Reparation and our Adoration all night long. The week ends as it began, with children. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, who gently, and sensibly and with a smile leads us to Jesus by a true spiritual childhood, is our saint for First Saturday.
Children and adults both had a wonderful time on a beautiful afternoon for a perfect parish picnic. Adults visited as did many young people, fanning out over the area. Some played games in the mild afternoon sun. Everybody got enough to eat, I’m sure. The dessert array was “awesome,” as they say today. Thank you to Mark and his helpers for the cooking, and all of the “behind the scenes” work which one of these affairs entails–shopping, set up and clean up. Anymore the highlight of the picnic is the Piñata, cleverly conceived and sturdily constructed by the Arlinghaus family. Great fun is had by all as first children and then older ones take a crack at “the devil and sin.” When they smash him finally (it is a collective effort) all the candy comes out to the delighted squeals of the little ones who scramble for it. Some were even waiting for the moment with plastic shopping bags ready!
Fr. McGuire returns from his long mission trip to the north this evening, and Fr. Cekada departs for the seminary today after serving as the High Mass organist–we do get our money’s worth out of the Fathers, don’t we? This bishop leaves Wednesday for a ten-day visit to Mendoza, Argentina. Two of those days are consumed in travel. The generosity of faithful everywhere to my Bishop’s Fund makes such missionary journeys possible. I will be visiting two priests who compose a congregation called “Missionaries of the Holy Rosary,” and their faithful, and will be administering Confirmation. Thank you for your prayers.
In the meantime our customer Rosary Sunday program continues with High Mass, Procession, and Communion Breakfast. Fr. McGuire will be our speaker, to tell us of his road to the priesthood, always an interesting tale. “Tickets on sale today,” as they say.
Oh, yes, daily Rosary every school day starts on Thursday, and continues throughout the weekends of October. No tickets required. But you’ll be saying yours at home, after supper. Excellent.
We are blessed with beautiful music at St. Gertrude the Great. Our choir again has a men’s section, and their baritones blend beautifully with our devoted altos and sopranos. The pure voices of the children solemnize each school day with a High Mass at its heart. We even have a third choir to sing beautiful pieces at Friday evening’s Low Mass each week, (Friday evening is our traditional parish devotions night), and a simple High Mass (in honor of Our Lady, for her day) on Saturday. This is not counting the men’s schola which practices with Fr. Cekada each Saturday morning for the Sunday High Mass propers. Their strong and solemn chant adds much splendor to the already beautiful High Mass. Let me start out this season by thanking all of our singers and directors for their hours of devoted volunteer service, just offered for the love of God and the beauty of His worship.
I hat to spoil these sublime thought with a reference to the Bergoglio propaganda visit to our shores, but there is one thing you may have missed. On his way to one world Washington from Communist Cuba, Francis brought up the subject of his apostasy. Out of the blue, he declared, “I am not an antipope or antichrist.” Well, what would you call him, a “pope” who has the same agenda as Obama, two Marxists who walk hand in hand? “Libera nos, Domine!” as Fr. Mardones likes to say.
Pray, pray with us these days. Let not your Rosary remain unused. St. Michael the Archangel protect the Church, protect our children!
—Bp. Dolan