40 Hours Celebration
My Dear Parishioners,
You are invited to join us for some communal and quiet prayer during our 40 Hours celebration. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the monstrance on our altar during the day and evening Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, October 15, 16, and 17th. You are also invited to join us for Evening Prayer and Benediction each of those nights at 7:00 p.m. Please take the opportunity to sign up to cover a 30 minute or 60 minute period of time praying before the Blessed Sacrament. The sign-up sheets are at the 3 church exits. The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops says, “(Eucharistic Adoration) is an extension of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which occurs in every Mass: ‘Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.’ Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and serves to deepen our hunger for Communion with Christ and the rest of the Church. The Rite concludes with the ordained minister blessing the faithful with the Blessed Sacrament.” As a nation we are trying to strengthen our appreciation of and devotion to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. The U.S Bishops call us to this task on the Eucharistic Revival website. Jesus is calling us deeper: He promises to restore and renew his people. Our world is hurting. We all need healing, yet many of us are separated from the very source of our strength. Jesus Christ invites us to return to the source and summit of our faith in the celebration of the Eucharist. The National Eucharistic Revival is a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
At the recent “Eucharistic Congress” we were told that the term Eucharistic Revival may be misleading. The Eucharist is the Living Risen Body of Jesus Christ. It does not need “reviving.” However our understanding, respect, and devotion do. The Revival is for us, not for Jesus.
Please note that we will not have the regular Monday Night Rosary on the 16th. Tuesday, our evening prayers will also include a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. The procession is a symbol of the Church on pilgrimage. We are all hopefully making our way towards God’s Kingdom and the short walk reminds us that we are called to be moving in faith towards heaven. This year we welcome a Passionist priest, Rev. W. Jerome Bracken as our guest homilist. Our Forty Hours will be a great opportunity to revive our understanding and appreciation of the Eucharist.
We are also in need of reviving our various liturgical ministries. Through COVID and natural attrition we are in serious need of people willing to act as Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. To participate in these ministries you should be a regular practicing Catholic and if married, in a marriage recognized by the Church. You do not need to be a “living saint” but should be striving to live the Lord’s call to conversion. Many people are afraid to take on the responsibility because they say that they are not worthy, but the truth is, no one is worthy, but God still calls. We are also in need of Altar Servers (adult and student), Cantors, Choir Members, and Ushers. If anyone is interested, please contact me or the person in charge of the respective ministries.
God Bless you,
Fr. Bordonaro