My dear friends,
Spring ahead! Fall back!
Hopefully the change will not throw too many of us for a loop.
Today is Father Thumma's 37th Anniversary of his Ordination as a Priest! While thanking God for the gift of his ministry and sacramentally imaging Jesus Christ to us, he will celebrate the 8:30am Mass today. Please be sure to wish God's blessings upon Father this weekend when you see him!
This morning I look forward to being with the women of our IHM Saint Veronica's Guild and all who have signed up for this Lenten Day of Recollection. We will have Mass at 9:00am in the church and then go to the lower church for social, reflections and lunch. I pray the weather holds out.
Given all going on this morning, 9:00am Confessions for ONLY today will be as follows: while 9am Mass is going on, please gather in the Marian Chapel to wait for Confessions. Fr. Thumma will offer Confessions in the Board Room accessible from the Marian Chapel by the back hallway. Thank you for your understanding.
The weekend of March 25th and 26th our Parish Council will be sponsoring a Parish Ministries Fair to showcase all the organizations and groups active at IHM. Please join us in the lower church to browse and to sign up for great ways to get involved here! Let me know if anyone would like to assist in this weekend.
I would also be interested in someone or a few people who could organize our IHM parish directory. The thought would be to keep it and be able to add/edit as the months go by and to produce printed directories at any time for parishioners who request/purchase one. We hope to utilize an online program, elicit family, couple and individual parish photos and to have a professional photographer here toward the end of the month for those who may wish to have a good photo taken. It would be my hope to bring the photographer back periodically for those who missed him or as families grow and people move. The directory would include name/family name, IHM staff and parish organization and their photos. We would not foresee incorporating any other personal information.
Have you been missing something for a while or more recently? Please check our Lost and Found area located in the old Baptistry off the Christ the King Altar.
For the next three Lenten Sundays at the 12noon Mass, we will be preparing our three Catechumens for the Easter Sacraments. These three scrutiny's are "a series of rites for adults who wish to be baptized. They are celebrated in the third, fourth, and fifth weeks of the Lenten season. This is considered a period of purification and enlightenment for the elect. There are prayers of exorcism which are intended to help purify the elect from sin and sinful desires. The overall prayers and laying on of hands are to help the elect be enlightened by the Word and grace of God" (Catholic Answers online).
A number of our teens traveled abroad for winter break and more will be headed overseas for Easter! Some went to Rome and participated in the Liturgies there. It has been on my heart and mind for a while to add Latin Mass parts to our parish repertoire of music so that we as Roman Catholics will feel at home and know how to join in the praise of God when we find ourselves on pilgrimage in Rome or elsewhere. English will continue to be the usual Mass parts sung for most of the year and in various musical settings, but we will spend a little time this Lent learning the Holy, Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation and the Lamb of God in Latin. Dr. Laurie Adamo will help us know where to find the words in the hymnal and review them with us.
Speaking of singing, let's get our parish Children's Choir back up and running! Dr. Laurie Adamo will offer children's choir practice on Tuesdays, beginning on March 21st from 6:00-6:45pm in the church/choir loft. The children will sing at most of the 9:00am Sunday Family Masses each month!
HOPE Community Services send a kind thank you note to our parish for all the winter coats donated to them. Bravo!
I appreciate that you allowed me to say a few words about this year's Cardinal's Appeal last Sunday. The Saturday Vigil escaped, but I plan to weave a word into my homily! Thank you for all who have made a donation/pledge and for those prayerfully considering an offering this year.
And the question that has probably come up to most everyone this year: can we eat meat on Saint Patrick's Day this year (a Friday in Lent, but not a Lenten Friday this year)?
The answer is - YES!
The reason for this is Saint Patrick is the patron saint of our Archdiocese of New York (why the Cathedral on 5th Avenue and the Old Cathedral in SOHO are named in his honor). Therefore, unless it falls during Holy Week, March 17th is celebrated as a Solemnity (as the universal Church does for Saint Joseph's Day on March 19th - moved to the 20th a Monday this year, and for the Annunciation on March 25th). No dispensation is needed when the day is a Solemnity.
A dispensation would be need from the Archdiocese (or your parish priest) on a Lenten day of fast or abstinence if there was serious reason to consider. Such dispensations are sought for the various Saint Patrick's events a week ahead of time.
So let's keep on going with our Lenten practices, but know you may wish to suspend them for Saint Patrick's Day and the other Solemnities that occur!
Pray for the Second Graders of our Religious Education Program who will make their First Confession this week!
Have a blessed Sunday and see you at the Eastchester St. Patrick's Parade!