Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Continuing to Move Forward with the 9:30 Extraordinary Form Mass
This past summer Pope Francis promulgated a motu proprio regarding the celebration of Mass in the Extraordinary Form, essentially granting bishops more direct oversight of where and when this Form can be celebrated in their respective dioceses. At the same time, the pope also included a number of specific restrictions.  Each bishop is implementing this differently depending on the local needs.  Our bishop has met with the priests who celebrate this form, and is garnering data and proposals as he continues to decide how best to implement this document.  He desires to provide for the long-term pastoral care of those who are spiritually nourished by this Form of the Mass, while also honoring what Pope Francis has directed.  He wants to provide this care in an intentional and organized way throughout the diocese in order to foster greater communion and effective use of priests who are able to celebrate this form.

There will be no immediate changes to our current practice.  The bishop desires to hear proposals until Easter, then we shall see how long after that if and what binding changes are made. During the month of December all the parishes that offer this Form of the Mass will do “mass counts” in order to give accurate numbers regarding attendance. In the meantime, it is appropriate to write the bishop of your love for this Mass and your support for him as he discerns the way forward. Your letters should be respectful, concise, and signed (anonymous letters don’t help). Of course, feel free to share with me your thoughts and ideas as well. 

Ad Orientem for Feast of Christ the King through Advent
The past couple of years we have highlighted a particular liturgical gesture at Mass during the Advent season.  You may remember that “ad orientem” means “toward the East.”  It refers to the orientation of our worship of God at Mass.  One of the dimensions of the celebration is of course how Christ is present in the midst of the community that He has assembled.  Another dimension of our worship is not just the present moment but the coming of Christ at the final judgement, the end of time, when He will make a new heaven and a new earth.  The easily Christians literally looked east in their prayer at Mass as a liturgical way of anticipating the Son of God who will come again like the sun rising in the east.  While in the past churches were built to face east highlighting this liturgical gesture, that is not always literally the case.  Whether literally east or not, the symbolic point is still apparent when for certain parts of the Mass the priest is facing in the same direction as the people so all are looking toward God together.

I grant that this liturgical option is not used as much in our current context, and I am aware of some folks who find this way of praying difficult. Yet there are many who find it helpful in their worship, thus we celebrate this option on certain occasions or seasons.  Having listened to pastoral council on this option, this year we will implement it for five weeks starting this weekend in honor of Christ the King.  There is a beautiful overlapping between Christ the King, marking the end of the liturgical year, and moving into Advent, which is the beginning, yet it focuses is on the end times.  This overlap helps us transition from the end times to preparing for celebrating the beginning again at Christmas - for Christ is the beginning and the end. At Christmas we will return to our customary altar setup. 

My hope is that this practice helps us appreciate the full tradition of our catholic worship.  The more we grow in it, the more we can appreciate it and grow in holiness. As always feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions.

Confessions Schedule for Advent
In addition to our regular parish confession schedule, our parish cluster will host confession nights.  These three nights will have all the priests from the cluster at one parish to hear confessions. The schedule is Tuesdays from 5-6pm on the following dates:
November 30 @ St Paul
December 14 @ St. Francis de Sales
December 21 @ Queen of Heaven
If it has been a while since you have been to confession, take courage!  Just go! If you are unable to make these times or are concerned about health, please call me and we can make arrangements for me to come to you.


Immaculate Conception Holy Day Schedule - December 8
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holy day of obligation.  One must participate at Mass unless they are legitimately impeded. Our schedule is:
Vigil Mass Tuesday December 7 at 6pm (Ordinary Form)
Wednesday December 8 at 8:30am (Ordinary Form)
Wednesday December 8 at 6pm (Extraordinary Form)

“Rorate Caeli” Mass
We will have a “Rorate Caeli” Mass on Saturday morning December 11. This is the traditional Mass in honor of our Lady, lit by candlelight in the early morning.  We have celebrated this the past couple of years and it is quite beautiful.  The symbolism echoes what was said above regarding “Ad orientem” with this Mass starting before the sun rises with only candles lighting the sanctuary.  By the time Mass is finishing the sun has begun to enlighten the church space showing forth how our Lady brings the Son, Christ, into the world.  The Mass will begin at 7am.

Prayers for the Faithful Departed
This weekend we blessed and lit the memorial candles near our Sacred Heart statue in honor of our faithful departed. They will remain lit through this week, and on Friday November 26, the 8:30 Mass will be offered specifically for those remembered by the candles.

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr