Septuagesima
Our Altar Servers pray together after Mass.
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Daily Sermons
January 22 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Defending Life and Faith
January 23 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Slavery of Body and Slavery of Soul
January 24 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Timothy, The Faithful Disciple of St. Paul
January 25 – Fr. Lehtoranta – The Conversion of St. Paul
January 26 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Polycarp, The Model Catholic
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Thanks for your prayers for a good retreat. Seven seminarians and three priests made it with me. It was a great retreat. I learned a lot myself, and it was wonderful to revisit St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and to analyze again and present her Little Way. The Little Flower was the theme of our Lent and most of our preaching all throughout 2013. Already five years. It’s good to re-member.
This Lent we’ll be doing the Mass, the fruitful sermon theme we began in Advent. For the Sunday sermons I’ll be following somewhat “America’s preacher,” Bishop Sheen. His classic “Calvary and the Mass” already inspired a series of Friday night Lenten sermons back in the palmy years of the 80’s. Sermons ran as long as 45 minutes, and the darkened church was well filled! Any-body remember?
Well, those days are done. Many souls, well fed, have departed to the Everlasting Banquet. But we still have our Sunday Masses, and some Sundays the Mass is well filled. Let us continue to study, and learn, the one great action of Calvary, which calls us to church every Lord’s Day. Of course, we still do have Friday evening Stations…
Today’s purple tells us it is planning time for Lent. What will we give up, what will we do “extra?” As I left Most Holy Trinity on Friday a seminarian slipped me a simple Fr. Mateo pamphlet, reprinted years ago by the zealous Fr. Kevin Vaillancourt. The Redeeming Power of the Mass pleads for “one more Mass” for the conversion, the ransom of souls. “The Mass, the daily Mass, the chalice, the greatest power of redemption.” Who doesn’t have souls to save, conversions to ask for?
I’ve only heard from one or two souls about a good daily Mass time. One individual said he wouldn’t be at-tending but that 7 AM would be the best time. How about you? What would be the best Mass time for you not to attend? Let me know. All input is appreciated, especially the thought provoking! Only two and a half weeks until Ash Wednesday.
Florida and Cincinnati both are having a wide range of weather. Something for everybody. I prefer cool and sunny myself, and was not disappointed. Ideal re-treat weather, with so much talking and thinking and praying.
I think about 300 guests are expected for Fr. Selway’s consecration on February 22nd. It will be a grand event, indeed. A happy mark of Catholic unity, and another step for the salvation of countless souls, a prudent provision for the continuation of the Mass and the Sacraments and the Faith, in our day.
Bishop Sanborn and I were trading cat stories. In my absence, Fr. Cekada was feeding ours. An overenthusiastic Caravaggio (he does enjoy his dinner) suddenly body blocked Fr. Cekada, and cat food was spilled all down the front of Father’s new Polish cassock. Bishop Sanborn was awakened recently by munching noises under his bed. The cat had deposited a finch there and was eagerly consuming the little bird, bones and all.
Big doings this week. Tomorrow we honor our city’s patron, St. Francis de Sales. First Friday is Candlemas, and my goodness, the Winter Soup Supper, and All Night Adoration. You will not want to miss any of it, I am sure. We would miss you if you did.
In the meantime, we’ll get started on taking down the Christmas decorations. You could help, maybe. But don’t miss Friday Mass! Our Lord would miss you.
– Bishop Dolan