St. Mary's Catholic Church - Weekly-Bulletin

Pentecost Sunday

Pat Perkins — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:02:04 GMT

The Jewish feast of Passover commemorates the deliverance of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and from that day of liberation, Moses led the people to the holy mountain where he had seen the living God in the bush which burned without being consumed. There on Mount Horeb Moses received the Ten Commandments from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and although Scripture does not specify the time between Passover and the giving of the Law, an ancient tradition holds that it was fifty days. Then in Leviticus 23.15-16, the LORD commands the children of Israel to offer a sacrifice of spring wheat exactly seven full weeks from the second day of Passover, meaning the fiftieth day from the feast of Passover. So, the Feast of First Fruits, also called the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew), was kept 50 days after Passover and was a time of great thanksgiving to God for the blessings of freedom and prosperity and for the Law which safeguarded those blessings. This festival was also called Pentecost from the Greek words meaning the fiftieth day.

Chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles opens with a mention of the arrival of the day of Pentecost, and this refers, of course, to the Jewish festival celebrated 50 days after Passover. Because of the feast, Jerusalem was filled with Jews visiting from all over the Mediterranean world, and it was to this multitude that St. Peter preached the Gospel, leading to the conversion of 3,000 people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The power of Peter’s preaching came not from him but from God the Holy Spirit who was poured out upon the Church on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus making Pentecost a festival for both Jews and Christians. To this day, observant Jews celebrate Shavuot in gratitude for the gift of Torah, and Christians celebrate Pentecost in thanksgiving for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the new life of grace which comes by saving faith in Jesus Christ, our Passover and our Peace. In this concurrence we see fulfilled the teaching of St. Paul (Colossians 2.16-17) that the feasts of the Old Covenant are shadows of the good things which come to us in Jesus Christ, to whom all the types and figures of Israel point.

The coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in Jerusalem led to the miracle of one voice being heard in many languages, an event which is both a symbolic reversal of the scattering of the human race as a result of the pride which built the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11.1-9) and a pledge of the Church’s mission to gather all nations into the unity of those who worship the one, only, living and true God by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, repenting of sin, being baptized, and living as a new creation in Christ’s body, the Church. The events of Pentecost fulfilled the promise of the Lord Jesus to his Apostles: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1.8), and so Pentecost also began the tireless effort of the Church to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations. Two millennia later, our contribution to that work of grace is to live as Evangelical Catholics who share the Gospel with others and lead them to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Father Newman

The Ascension of the Lord

Pat Perkins — Sun, 12 May 2013 05:30:26 GMT

It is time once again for the rotation of several of our Dominican Sisters, and this year we are losing three and gaining three to replace them. After four years here as our principal, Sister Mary John, OP will be serving as the new principal of Star of the Sea School in Hampton, Virginia. After seven years with us, Sister Mary Lucy, OP is moving to St. Dominic’s School in Joliet, Illinois where she will continue to teach second grade; she was one of the pioneers to open this mission from Nashville! And after two years in our middle school, Sister Michaela, OP — who will profess her final vows on 22 July 2013 — will be teaching high school religion at St. Cecilia’s Academy in Nashville. We are deeply grateful to all three of these supremely dedicated women religious, and we send them to their new assignments with fond memories, enduring love, and a pledge of prayers.

Even as we bid farewell to these three Sisters, we welcome three more Nashville Dominicans. Our new principal, who until now has served as principal of Cathedral Academy in New Orleans, will be Sister Mary Sheila, OP. Joining her will be Sister Maureen, OP in the second grade and Sister Victoria Marie, OP in the middle school. They will not arrive until early August, but they will hit the ground running in time for the new school year.

This is a good moment for us to remember that when a large congregation of teaching Sisters take responsibility for a parochial school, the individual Sisters come and go with great frequency while the congregation remains as the principle of continuity and institutional memory. The Nashville Dominicans are renowned throughout the universal Church for the excellence of their leadership in Catholic schools, and we are most fortunate to have the service of such Sisters here at St. Mary’s. Please remember the entire Dominican Congregation of St. Cecilia in your prayers, and ask the Lord of the harvest to bless these Sisters with many young women on fire for the Gospel who want to spend their lives in the noble task of teaching others to follow the Lord Jesus as faithful disciples.

The Order of Preachers, to which the Nashville Dominicans belong along with friars, contemplative nuns, and lay associates, was founded by St. Dominic in the early 13th century. We have a chapter of Dominican Laity here at St. Mary’s, about which you will see more in the future. And in recent years the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph in the eastern United States has had an explosion of vocations as young men step forward to follow the Lord Jesus and preach his Gospel. Even now two young men from the Upstate are preparing to join the Dominicans of the eastern province, and in due course, I will be able to tell you more about that. For now, pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life!

Father Newman

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Pat Perkins — Sun, 05 May 2013 05:01:30 GMT

If you discovered a cure for cancer, would you keep it secret? If you developed an absolutely effective way for addicts to be delivered from slavery to drugs and alcohol, would you keep it hidden? If you had knowledge of how to achieve immortality, would you tell no one? Christians who are not proclaiming the Gospel and inviting others to follow the Lord Jesus are hiding the good news of the eternal plan of salvation that frees us from sin and death, and so many Christians — particularly Catholics — are keeping the Gospel secret that our entire civilization is in the process of returning to paganism. The remedy for this accelerating collapse of Christian civilization is simple: evangelization. But how do we do this? How do we proclaim the Gospel?

+ By the way we live. Would a perfect stranger visiting our homes, riding in our cars, observing us at work, listening to our conversations, or examining our relationships and patterns of behavior find any evidence that we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? Do we serve those in need? Do we love our enemies? Do we forgive those who sin against us when they seek mercy? Do we seek to change sinful habits or just surrender to them? Do we bear witness to the Gospel in the public square, the voting booth, the board room and the bedroom?

+ By the things we think and say. Do we really believe that the Gospel is a supernatural gift of divine revelation to which we are accountable? Do we believe that the Church is Christ’s body in which his messianic authority to teach, sanctify and govern is exercised by the College of Bishops with and under its head, the Bishop of Rome? Do we surrender all of our thoughts and feelings, words and deeds to the judgment of Christ and his Church by shaping our lives according to the Gospel — including, especially, the parts of Catholic teaching we find most difficult to accept?

+ By the way we worship. Do we keep the Lord’s Day holy by participating fully in Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation? Do we pray each day and give our hearts to the Lord? Do we read and study Holy Scripture? Do we take seriously the promises of our Baptism and Marriage? Do we confess our sins regularly in the Sacrament of Penance?

+ By inviting others to follow Christ. Do we share our faith and teach others that Jesus Christ is Lord? Do we ask others to join us in divine worship? Are we ready to be embarrassed by speaking of the deep things of the human heart and the truth of the Gospel? Do we call others to conversion from sin by teaching the more excellent way of divine love revealed by the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!

Father Newman

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Pat Perkins — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 05:09:10 GMT

A few items for your attention:

1. Our weekday Mass schedule this week is as usual, but after this week we must cancel the noon Mass until further notice because the construction of our sacristy extension will soon come inside the rear wall of the church. This means that during the work day we need to hand over to our contractors the space in which we prepare for Mass, and so the noon Mass will be discontinued until the contractors hand the space back to us. I apologize for this inconvenience and ask for the patient understanding of those who regularly attend our noon Mass.

2. Due to bad weather, we are still behind where I had hoped to be, but the project is now far enough along for you see the size and shape of the changes to our campus. In the coming week we expect the primary slab of the columbarium floor to be poured, and the concrete blocks of the sacristy walls will rise to near their full height. If you look closely at the center of the new sacristy wall facing Francis Field, you’ll see a rectangular section of block that extends a bit from the rest of that wall. This will be the site of new Marian Grotto, and when it is complete, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary will face the interior of our campus and become a focal point in the passage behind the church.

3. Deacon Renaurd West will be ordained to the priesthood at our Cathedral Church in Charleston on Friday 7 June 2013 at 6 pm. Then on Sunday 9 June, he will be the principal celebrant at our 11 am Mass, and a reception will follow that Mass in Gallivan Hall. Please plan now to attend both events if you can.

4. During the month of July, our Wednesday afternoon Holy Hour will go on its usual summer hiatus. The last Holy Hour before the pause will be Wednesday 26 June, and the first Wednesday back after the break will be 7 August.

5. It is never too early to be thinking about the beginning of the next Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults or RCIA. If you know someone who is curious about Catholicism and wants to learn more, please suggest that they consider taking this class. Also invited are those Catholics who have never been confirmed or who simply want to learn more about the fundamentals of our faith. The next course will begin just after Labor Day, and classes will meet on Wednesday evenings.

Father Newman

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Pat Perkins — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:27:05 GMT

“Be still and know that I am God.” This exhortation of Psalm 46 reveals the connection between sacred silence and being in the presence of the living God. Throughout Holy Scripture the prophets reveal the necessity of reverential silence as a condition for approaching the majesty and mercy of God, and the New Testament frequently speaks of the Lord Jesus seeking a quiet place to be in communion with His Father. For this reason, the Church exhorts us in a variety of ways to seek sacred silence in the liturgy, and during the celebration of Mass and Vespers, we therefore observe several long, silent pauses during which we are not simply waiting for the next thing to happen; we are waiting together upon the LORD. I ask everyone to bear this in mind as I reach out to grab the third rail: crying or screaming babies and toddlers in church.

There is no way to address this matter without offending someone’s sensibilities, but as the shepherd of the flock it is my duty to ensure good order for all in the celebration of the sacred mysteries. And so I must firmly remind parents that children who are too young to remain quiet during the sacred liturgy are not yet ready to be in the church while Mass or Vespers is being celebrated. Of course, we want our children to learn from earliest years to be at home in the House of God, but a child who regularly shatters the sacred silence of the liturgy is best kept at home with other family members who would attend another Mass, in the nursery provided in Sacred Heart Hall, in one of the cry rooms, or at least in one of the vestibules of the church with the double doors closed. Audio speakers are provided in the cry rooms and vestibules precisely so that parents tending small children can hear what is taking place in the church. Of course, from time to time even parents who are doing their best to observe these suggestions may find themselves in a pew with a recalcitrant child. When that happens, please head for the door sooner rather than later; such situations are almost never resolved quietly in the church, and the by the time the screaming rises to the rafters, nearly no one else in the building is still praying.

Now, to those without small children who are usually the first to notice the distraction caused by crying babies: Please understand that the parents are doing their best to raise their children in the fear of the LORD, and bringing them into the precincts of the sacred liturgy is a part of that task. We should always be grateful for the gift of new life, even when that gift is squirming and shrieking in the next pew. Be patient, and offer your distraction to the Throne of Grace for the sake of all the babies who will never learn to love the LORD.

And to all: Let common sense, loving-kindness, and good humor prevail. We are all in this together, striving to follow the LORD as His pilgrim people, in the service of which we need to heed His command: “Be still and know that I am God.”

Father Newman