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 As we continue journeying through the Mass this week, I wanted to look at 2 gestures that happen during the Liturgy of the Word. One that is done by everyone & the second that is done only by the Priest or Deacon, & both take place during the proclamation of the Gospel. As the Priest or Deacon begins the proclamation of the Gospel, they say, “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to ____.”

This weekend we take a break from our walk through the Mass for two very important reminders. First, this Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. It is my hope & prayer that each of you will be able to spend the day with those who are near & dear to you.

We call the Opening Prayer, the Collect. The prayer gains this name because of the purpose that it serves, to collect all of our prayers together into one as we begin the Mass. When the Priest says, “Let us pray,” there is meant to be a moment of silence.

This week, we continue our journey through the Mass by looking at the other options for the Penitential Rite at Mass. In our last column on the Mass, we looked at the first option, the Confiteor. This week, we’ll look at the other options, more commonly known as the Kyrie.

Near the beginning of his Papacy, Pope Francis gave an interview. The first question that he was asked, “Who are you?” To which he replied, “I am a sinner.” The Pope is a sinner, your Pastor is a sinner, we are all sinners. That’s why, as we open the celebration of Mass, we begin by asking God for mercy & forgiveness.

We pause again for our discussion of the Mass in my column this weekend for a “special announcement.” “Are there any who are sick among you? Let them send for the priests of the Church & the Priests of the Church will pray over them.” One of the crosses that we may find ourselves carrying during the course of our lives is the cross of illness, pain, & suffering.

On this first day of October, we celebrate and observe Respect for Life Sunday. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect the gift of life in all its stages, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between.

“And with your spirit” is a much deeper response than my young “fine” was or ever could be. When we respond to the Priest’s greeting with those words, “And with your spirit,” we’re referring to the deep ontological (relating to the very being) change that occurs in a Priest’s soul.

Imagine walking up to someone & greeting them saying, “The Lord be with you.” In the store, on the street, when we walk in our house that greeting might seem somewhat strange. “Hi,” or “How are you?” or “What’s going on?” are the more usual greetings that we might use, but in Mass our greeting goes beyond a simple, “How are you doing?”

As we continue our journey through the Mass, let’s begin where it begins, with the Sign of the Cross. Every Mass that we celebrate always begins the same way, with all of us standing together & saying, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Over the last 2 weeks, we have heard in our gospel of an encounter between Jesus & His disciples. This encounter has centered around the question posed last weekend, “Who do you say that I am?” Last week, Jesus posed the question & this week we see what it really means to say that Jesus is Christ & Lord, it means taking up our cross & following Him.

Another question that we might find ourselves wondering about is how the Priest chooses which Mass to celebrate on a particular day? Are there options or is it a matter of this is what it is?

The word Mass comes from a Latin word, missa. In Latin, the Mass ends, “Ite missa est” which translates to, “Go, it is sent.” And what or who is sent, you might ask? The Church. One of the great Saints of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, in a commentary that he wrote on these words said, “And from the Mass derives its name...the deacon on festival days ‘dismisses’ the people at...

One of the common experiences of our Catholic faith is the celebration of the Mass. As we gather around the altar to celebrate the Eucharist, we see many actions & hear many words & perhaps at times we’ve found ourselves wondering the purpose or the meaning behind them.

It’s Angel again, hope you’re having a great summer! I know I’m enjoying the time being able to sniff outside & take walks without the snow touching my belly (it’s tough being short you know).

Last week, I wrote about the opening of our Mass Book for the upcoming year which will occur this coming Thursday, July 20th. This week I wanted to share with you some thoughts on how we offer a Mass for someone.

One of the great forms of prayer in our Church is intercessory prayer. So many of us have people & causes that we pray for on a regular, sometimes even daily basis. We pray for people who are sick, people who have died, we pray for peace, we pray for unemployed, just to name a few.

As we continue in this year of Eucharistic Revival I wanted to share with you a prayer that was composed in & for our Diocese this year. I would invite you to cut this out of the bulletin & keep it on...

Greetings, parish family! I wanted to discuss today a question that comes up a lot, “How long do we need to fast before receiving the Eucharist?” The Eucharisitc fast is designed to help us remember the deep hunger that should lie within each of us for the great gift that we receive in the Eucharistic Lord Jesus, the Bread of Life.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi Sunday, the Body & Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate this Solemnity every year, but in this year it takes on an even more special meaning as we kick off our year-long Eucharistic Revival. This revival is an invitation, an opportunity, for us, to reflect on what the Eucharist means to us.