As a reminder, we have designated our Masses on Sunday at Holy Cross Academy for our strictest safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic. This means anyone attending these Masses are expected to wear your mask properly for the entirety of your time inside the building, to properly social distance, and to respect the requests for the ushers. We encourage the at risk members of the parish who wish to attend Mass to attend at Holy Cross. Thank you for respecting the rules and doing your part to help keep the at risk members of the parish safe.
Thank you for praying a rosary for our school reopening. And if you don’t know what I am talking about, go back and read last week’s bulletin note…. better yet, just please pray a rosary for our parish school, staff, and students! This week is our return school under a hybrid model of alternating days and distance learning.
We had this week a day of prayer for our parish and school staffs. I was very grateful for the opportunity to spend the day in prayer with the people who serve you so generously.
Fr. Sina spoke at one point about the Thomistic principle “Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur.” (And no, when he put me on the spot, I could not come up with the Latin! Thank you Google!) The translation: “Whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver.” He applied this to the scripture about spouses loving and respecting each other. He gave context and examples to husbands’ desire to be respected and wives’ desire to be loved! Next time I preach a wedding, I’ll be thinking about the specifics of St. Paul exhorting each of the spouses to love more like Jesus in a way particular to the weakness of each.
Fr. Koehr said something that also stuck with me: going to Mass without engaging in consistent mental prayer is like going to a wedding where you don’t know the bride or the groom! Prayer is that great encounter with the living God, the bridegroom of our souls! And Mass is the wedding feast of the lamb, but we are the bride! Can you imagine going to your own wedding not knowing that it is your big day? Impossible and ridiculous! No wonder we are so easily bored at Mass!
Thanks to all who make our school and parish awesome, and may we all keep growing in mutual understanding, respect, and love.
There is yet again another email scam going around where parishioners are receiving emails claiming to be from Fr Mosimann. They are not. Father Mosimann will never ask for money or gift cards through email. Please ignore any email like this. They have been reported to the FBI and we are told this happens to churches all around the country. Once again, Father will never send you an email asking for a favor and then soliciting money or gift cards.
But can I ask each of you to pray 30 minutes this week? Church law allows popes and bishops to declare days of fasting/penance for specific intentions. Likewise, pastors can for their parish.
I am asking you to pray for our parish school, Holy Cross Academy. Our staff, and teachers, students, and families have been working all summer to try to find the best way to safely educate our parish children amidst all of the anxiety and fear of the pandemic. This week we enter the homestretch before our opening on August 26th. Could you pray for us?
I believe in the power of prayer. Prayer is the lifeblood of the faith and the soul of every good work in our parish. That is why I am asking every parishioner to pray for this week. Will you give 30 minutes for a rosary or adoration or scripture or all of these? You may pray in your home, on your walk, in church, or wherever you can truly set aside the time to give undivided attention to Jesus. Thank you.
