Posted on July 2, 2017 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus! Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
Please remember tomorrow is the 175th Anniversary of Old St. Mary’s. Mass begins at 6:00 p.m. This will be an All-Parish Mass, incorporating different elements from all of our Masses. The social will begin after Mass. I hope that everyone is able to be with us. Sign-ups for food has concluded, but please still come and bring a dish to share even if you did not sign up. This will certainly be something to experience!
We have reserved the entirety of Clay Street for parking and have the Salvation Army Lots reserved. For those who came to the Mass of Thanksgiving for the establishment of the Oratory, parking was not much of a problem. We will have volunteers helping with directing people to parking.
I am excited to report that our Sister Parish, St. Peter’s in Munich, will be sending a representative to be with us on July 3. This will be an honor to welcome her to Old St. Mary’s. St. Peter’s has invited us to visit them in Munich. St. Peter’s is a lot like Old St. Mary’s. They are the oldest Church in Munich, offering Mass in Latin and German, using only the High Altar. I look forward to welcoming them to Cincinnati and Old St. Mary’s!
Just a quick reminder about the Pilgrimage to Italy, in the footsteps of St. Philip Neri. Only a handful of a seats remain, so if you are on the fence, the time to commit is soon. I have a limited amount of funds available to offer financial aid to those who may need help, especially young adults who have never been to Rome. Mass will be offered in both English and Latin daily. It will also be a smaller group, making it a more personal pilgrimage. So this is an opportunity for everyone to seize if you can. It will be an unforgettable experience!
I conclude with another reflection from our history, as we celebrate 175 years of faithful service that our beloved parish has given to God and His people. Please pray each day for our parish. Have a blessed week ahead and I hope to see everyone on Monday!
“On July 3, 1842, the structure was dedicated to God, under the title of the Annunciation, on which feast day the cornerstone was laid. It was the largest church thus far erected in the Mississippi Valley, being 142 feet long, 66 feet wide, and the tower reaching the height of 170 feet. Its style was Gothic. It is also important to note that it was the first consecrated structure raised to Our Lady in the Northwest Territory.
At an early hour that historic Sunday morning, the procession arrived at the Church. It was the first Catholic demonstration of this kind held in Cincinnati. The procession left Holy Trinity Church and marched through the downtown streets to Old St. Mary’s Church. Heading the procession was an acolyte bearing a beautiful gilt crucifix, accompanied by two torchbearers…
The solemn ceremonies began at 9:30 a.m., at which the Right Reverence Bishop Purcell pontificated… The services concluded at 2:00 p.m.”