Posted on June 18, 2017 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus! Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
First of all, Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers among us. May St. Joseph intercede for each of you and obtain many graces from God as you fulfill this important role!
As I mentioned last week, and in the week prior, July 3 is an important date for us at Old St. Mary’s. 175 years ago, on July 3, 1842, Old St. Mary’s was dedicated as a Church to the service of God. This is a huge milestone for our parish, and one we should be proud of. Hopefully we are each contributing to keeping our parish around for another 175 years for our great grandchildren and their grandchildren.
To celebrate, we will have a special Mass for the Anniversary for the Dedication of the Church on July 3 at 6:00 p.m. Mass will combine each of our unique traditions, Latin, German, and English. A parish celebration will follow in the back with good food, fireworks, and good company. I am personally inviting, encouraging, and asking each of you to attend. We had a great turn out for the Archbishop to celebrate the establishment of the Oratory. We are now called upon to celebrate our parish.
If you have not already done so, please sign up in the back of Church, so we can have an accurate count for food. The parish will provide the main entre, the drinks, and a few other items. I am asking those who come to bring a side dish. Old St. Mary’s, from its very beginning, with the women taking home the bricks to bake and the men bringing them back the next day, has always had this fraternal and communal aspect, which we need to celebrate this on this important milestone.
I will be in need of a lot of help for the celebration. From setting up tables and chairs, to decorating, to getting out drinks and food, to the many other small tasks that go into everything we do here. If anyone is willing and/pr able to assist with anything, please contact me or the parish office. A job can surely be found if you are willing!
Commemorative steins will be available for purchase in the next week or two. The stein will cost $25. Please contact the parish office to pre-order. These will be available either before or at the July 3 celebration.
To conclude, Old St. Mary’s was specifically dedicated for Divine Worship and to house the Holy Eucharist. In this time around the Feast of Corpus Christi, let us reflect upon this great gift that has been given to us. Please find this short meditation from St. Thomas Aquinas for your prayers this week. Have a blessed week ahead!
“How precious a thing then, how marvelous, how health-giving, how furnished with all dainties, is the Supper of the Lord! Than His Supper can anything be more precious? Therein there is put before us for meat, not, as of old time, the flesh of bulls and of goats, but Christ Himself, our very God. Than this Sacrament can anything be more marvelous? Therein it cometh to pass that bread and wine are bread and wine no more, but in the stead thereof there is the Body and there is the Blood of Christ; that is to say, Christ Himself, Perfect God and Perfect Man, Christ Himself is there, under the appearance of a little bread and wine.” – St. Thomas Aquinas