Christ the King
Photos from Our 40 Hours Devotion
Fr. Lehtoranta chants the Gospel during our opening Mass.
Closing Benediction. The rose petals on the floor mark where the Blessed Sacrament passed during our procession.
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Daily Sermons
October 19 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Peter of Alcantara and Custody of the Eyes
October 20 – Fr. McKenna – The Mass Makes the Man
October 21 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Peace be To You
October 23 – Fr. Lehtoranta – We Can Trust Jesus
October 26 – Bp. Dolan – Consecrate It!
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Winter came in a bit after Forty Hours, but the warm glow of grace lingers and grows within us. I wish to thank Our Lady of Fatima for sending her soldiers the following week to the Friday night opening, very well attended and sung indeed. Our Litany stormed Heaven for help, as did our silent adoration all through the night. But what a pleasant break to go back to a beautifully arranged Helfta Hall and sample many homemade chilis, and visit a bit. We left fortified.
The Saturday Solemn Mass was the restored purple Mass for Peace, made possible by a new solemn set of vestments arrived for the occasion. What a quiet, beautiful Mass is the middle Mass of Forty Hours. The sun shone through, and lit up different places almost at random, while the children sang sweetly, their clear unaccompanied voices needing no organ; as we all prayed fervently for God’s gift of peace. Some families stole in for a visit in the afternoon, and we sang two Vespers to be on the safe side. Vespers are the Church’s thanksgiving, and we have so much cause for gratitude.
Sunday is the Lord’s Day, doubly so for Forty Hours. Most of you simply followed your standard routine, but some I think did stay, or return, for “a visit.” Other made it to the closing ceremonies, and the 5:30 Mass beforehand. So, everything did work out for the final day, and those last prayers and petitions of ours. The singers and servers were all troopers. Austin enjoyed ringing the bells in the procession. Forty Hours does pass in a busy blur for us here at church, but sacrifices do yield some good, if all too brief, prayer time during a busy weekend.
This Sunday I am visiting Christ the King Chapel in Lafayette, Louisiana, at the invitation of Fr. Francis Miller, OFM. Due to a split in the early days of Fr. Fenton’s Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement, there have always been two chapels in the area. Ours, Our Lady of the Rosary, is out in the country, and Christ the King is in town. But years ago Fr. Ercoli spearheaded a gradual reconciliation between the two groups, which we have been pursuing. So this weekend I will be confirming and offering Mass at the “other chapel,” and for their patronal feast as well. With all of the splits and ongoing bitter divisions, this kind of good news is welcome indeed. Why should we not work together? Will Cincinnati be next? The Rosary works miracles…. Is anybody praying?
Fr. McKenna spent last week doing marathon drives across the upper Midwest, around North Dakota, and over to Wisconsin and back again. There was talk of a blizzard, which would make this missionary’s life even more difficult. Last Sunday was also Mission Sunday, and our missioner headed off a few hours later, to the missions. He should be returning tonight. Fr. McGuire leaves Tuesday to take care of Milwaukee this saint filled week. Their Forty Hours fall November 10-12.
We are looking forward to All Saints Sunday, and the little ones with their costumes and saints stories. Memories…. At the funeral we remembered how Ryan Greenwell was an enthusiastic St. Michael as a little boy, wielding his sword one year; and St. Denis holding his head another. It’s always worth the effort. Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.
Don’t forget the Holy Day come Wednesday, the Poor Souls and your indulgenced visits on Thursday, and the All Night Adoration for First Friday. Your fidelity is proof of the fruits of our Fatima Month and year, of our annual Forty Hours, of our many needs and the power of prayer.
Three teenaged coyotes were out rabbit hunting in the cats’ domain one night last week after dinner. The felines prudently retired indoors. I have the feeling the coyotes came for deer hunting season, so they’ll be sticking around for awhile.
Caravaggio does his best to help with my sermon preparation. Last Saturday night he mewed to come in, a mouse in his mouth and a moth in his wake. He played with the mouse awhile and then it handily escaped across Puccini’s dinner dish, darting under the refrigerator. That left the giant moth, which the cat studied for awhile, and then left alone. Probably didn’t want any holes in his fine winter coat.
May Mary clothe us with the robe of charity, and keep us safe in the double garment of her scapular.
– Bishop Dolan