Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Feast Day, Parish Novena, and Eucharistic Devotions - January 25- February 2 Our parish patronal feast day is Jan. 25, the Conversion of St. Paul. This year we are celebrating over a period of nine days with our parish novena. This week’s bulletin includes the novena prayers for everyone to pray on their own, and folks can follow on our website or facebook page. This weekend we are continuing the novena prayers following the Masses and also after the 4:30 and 11:30 Masses, we will have time of adoration and Benediction. Here is the rest of the novena schedule:

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Feast Day, Parish Novena, and Eucharistic Devotions - January 25- February 2 Our parish patronal feast day is January 25, the Conversion of St. Paul. This year we are celebrating over a period of nine days with our parish novena. This week’s bulletin includes the novena prayers for everyone to pray on their own, and folks can follow on our website or facebook page. We will offer other public opportunities for prayer as well. Here is the schedule:

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Time after Epiphany / Ordinary Time You will notice that while the Christmas season is technically over, some of our Christmas Decorations have remained. The manger scene is there but Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are gone that we reflect on how they had to flee Herod and go to Egypt. The wise men are returning home, but by a different route. Celebrating these events of Jesus’ life can help us realize the importance of the Incarnation in our lives. Having encountered the Lord, we are made new to live a new way. This means it could bring persecution like Herod hunting after the infant Christ. Yet we take courage, for in the Lord’s Providence all will be brought to Good.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Epiphany! The wisemen statues in our church narthex have been “journeying” since the beginning of Advent, making their way from one end of the narthex now arriving at the manger scene. We do this every year to show how Christmas is not just a day, but an event that is celebrated and pondered over time. Epiphany shows forth God’s Revelation to the whole world. The three wisemen where not Jewish, but Gentiles, and were yet drawn to the reality of the Messiah. They show us the universality of our human need for salvation. This is also the foreshadowing of God’s desire to offer salvation to all through faith in His Son. Hopefully we have journeyed closer to the Lord this season, offering Him our meager gifts, and in so doing we are changed by His grace.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! The Christmas Season continues, so keep pondering the great mystery of Christ’s Incarnation and Nativity. As we switch gears, now at Mass we are singing the Gloria again and moving away from the “Adventy” Mass settings and hearing more of the organ and seeing decorations. However, one aspect that we are continuing is the singing of the Alma Redemptoris Mater hymn after all our Masses. This Marian hymn takes us all the way to February 2 giving us time to more deeply reflect on the Father’s Love, the Son’s Incarnation by the Holy Spirit, and also to honor Mary. Especially today as we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, perhaps take time praying with that hymn. It and its English translation is on the front of this bulletin.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Don’t throw out that tree tomorrow or even next week! For the Christmas Season is only now just beginning. The Feast of Christmas has its own liturgical octave, so that means for eight days we embrace the wonderful mystery of Christ’s nativity. Then the Christmas season continues for another week after that. In fact, in our history there was a tradition that the Christmas season would last 40 days taking us up until February 2.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, O Advent, O Antiphons Since last weekend, but especially since yesterday, December 17, the shift has happened from focusing on Christ’s Second Coming to now preparing to celebrate His First Coming. It is also at this time that in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours there are particular antiphons (like the ones chanted after the opening hymn at our Masses) that call out yearningly the different titles of the coming Messiah. They are often called the “O” Antiphons. The human, “O Come, Emmanuel,” is based on these Antiphons, which is why it is most appropriate to sing during these seven days.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Gaudete Sunday - Rejoice! Depending on when December 25 falls determines how long Advent actually lasts (between three and four weeks). This year it is the full four weeks since Christmas falls on a Sunday - please note the Christmas weekend schedule. This means the Third Sunday of Advent is smack in the middle of the season. This is like the half-time break of a football game. It is a small oasis in the midst of the penitential season.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, People Look East this Blessed Advent! Happy New Year! - Liturgical New Year that is. One of the beauties of our Catholic Faith is our liturgical calendar that takes us through the seasons of the mysteries of Christ, His Church, and all the saints. There is a wonderful rhythm showing a dynamic permanence as a well as ordered change in our celebration of the Liturgy. We find consolation in the familiarity of the way Mass is celebrated every Sunday, yet at the same time, the changes of season help us navigate our focus amidst all the nooks and crannies of God’s revelation.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Feast of Christ the King! As this month has been focused on the four last things, Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell, our liturgical calendar is also coming to an end. It ends with this great feast in part to show how Christ is the Lord of all, King of the entire universe, king of our souls, and king who ushers in a new kingdom that has conquered death with the triumph of His loving mercy. Even as we remember our faithful departed and remember our own death, which we must face, we are consoled in the truth of the one king who has come not to be served but to serve.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Thank You Stewards of the Land I very much like coming into the church on Thursday mornings and seeing that church has been taken care of. The entryway looks nice, the carpet is vacuumed and things are in order. We have a group of wonderful volunteers who come in on Wednesdays and show their care for the parish by helping in this way. Also, this group organizes the spring and fall cleanup of the church grounds.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 9:30am Mass Canceled Nov. 6 Just a reminder that those who normally attend the 9:30 Mass will need make other arrangements for Mass on November 6. I apologize, but this is the unfortunate reality. I am still the only priest in this part of the diocese who can celebrate that form, and the few others who can have other responsibilities on Sunday mornings. I will be back in time to celebrate the 5:30pm on November 11.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Eucharistic Procession on Friday! Join us for a Eucharistic Procession on Friday, Oct. 28 after the 5:30pm Mass. The procession will form at 6:30 and we will walk south half a mile on Brown Street concluding with prayers and Solemn Benediction at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church. Fr. Sal generously welcomed us to do this a few years ago (you may remember) and is doing so again. In a particular way we pray for him and his family as there is still much turmoil in his home country

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Holy Land Gifts We thank the folks who were selling the religious items in the narthex last week. Thank you to all who purchased any items. Not only do you have something to help you pray or a gift for another, but a connection with actual olive wood from the Holy Land where our Lord literally walked, ministered, died, and rose! Keep that in mind when you look at the crucifix or statue you bought. Furthermore, your financial support helps our Christian brothers and sisters living in the holy land who struggle to make ends meet.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION OCTOBER 28 @ 6:30! St. Paul’s will host a Eucharistic Procession after the 5:30pm Mass on October 28. We will start at St. Paul’s and then process outside down the street a 1/2 mile and end at Holy Ghost Ukrainian concluding there with Solemn Benediction. The Bishops have just begun a three year Eucharistic Revival. The first year of this initiative is a diocesan phase and next year the parish phase will start.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, October Prayers after Mass Our custom of praying brief prayers after all our parish Masses continues. As I have written before, they take place after the Dismissal marking the end of Mass (when the deacon of priest says, “Go forth …”), and we do them as a way to foster an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving. This is done with a hymn or certain prayers, or, for us on Sundays, we do both. These prayers are optional; no one is sinning if they do not stay for them.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Importance of True Recreation Last week I took a few days off to travel to the Hocking Hills area of Ohio with some priest friends. This has a become a go-to event for us about once a year when we know we need to recharge the spiritual and physical batteries. We rent a house for a few days and while not an official retreat it is retreat-ish. We are away from the city, have nature surrounding us, the ability to go for hikes. There were no planned events or set schedule other than our celebrating Mass together. We each could make the time to relax and pray. We shared stories of ministry and of course through our discussions solved all the problems in the church (well that last one didn’t quite happen). Thank you all who kept things moving smoothly at the parish while I was away.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Important Symbolism of Candles Not only was there the practical reason of needing light by which to see and read, but candles show a great elemental symbolism for human beings. Their use is common in most if not all religions. For Catholics, we continued the Jewish practice of connecting candles with prayer and God’s presence. A candle’s light calls to mind Christ who is the Light of the World.