Next Sunday, June 11 is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of the Lord. As we have done for several years, we will have a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. This year our procession will take place at the conclusion of the 10:30AM Mass. We will process through our neighborhood and then back to the church. Please pray for a nice day so that we can continue this beautiful custom we started last year. Please make some time to participate in this time we have to honor, in a very public way, our devotion to Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament. Join your parish family as we take to the street with Jesus backing us up as we strive to witness to the world of our faith in Him.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS. Our celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart will take place on the weekend of June 17 and 18 with our parish picnic following the 5:00 PM Mass on June 18. What would a Parish Picnic be without a raffle? This year we will have a raffle with a Grand Prize of $500. The tickets will be $5 each and will also be sold in advance as well as on the day of the picnic. The winner need not be present. The proceeds from the raffle will go to help Ukrainian refugees coming into the Cleveland area. We are joining with three other parishes to raise money to help these refugees. Please be generous in supporting our efforts. Tickets are on sale soon after all the Masses as well as the parish office until the picnic.
Maybe many of you have heard that there is much debate on selling abortion pills and birth control pills over the counter in drug stores. These are two different debates going on at present in the courts. It is important for us to be aware of the potential harm that these kind of sales of medications over the counter can do to the health of women and an unborn child. This is really a matter of life and death and not about reproductive freedom or reproductive health for women as the people that advocate such measures would like us all to believe. Please be aware of these issues in the news and please do not rely only on the secular news media, but check these stories out with Catholic media, TV, radio, and printed sources. As of now I know of two drug store chains that are planning to sell both abortion pills and birth control pills over the counter: CVS and Walgreens. Please pray that we may all have a greater respect for all human life from conception to natural death.
You may also be aware of a School Choice Bill in the Ohio legislature that would provide tuition assistance to families that are 450% over the poverty line so that parents can choose the school they want their children to attend. It would provide $5,500 per year per child for elementary school and $7,500 for high school. The passage of this bill would enable many parents to choose Catholic school for their children. Please pray that this bill is passed. Parents should be able to choose which kind of education they want for their children. You will find in the bulletin today an insert that provides more information on this very important matter.
ROCK THE RECTORY! On Friday, May 26, the Predictables Rocked the Rectory for the second time. It was a beautiful evening with some great music, great weather, and a great turnout. Everyone seemed to have an enjoyable time. Joe McNeill, Chris Serger, and Josh Watson did a fantastic job entertaining everyone for a couple of hours. The music was not only entertaining, but also very inspiring, helping everyone to think more about God and His love as well as His call to us to turn to Him. Thank you to the Predictables and all who were a part of the evening.
I think our parish grounds have always looked very beautiful and that is thanks mainly to Tom Hagerty who has done the majority of the care himself. Thank you to Tom for all the hard work and care that you have put into making our church look even more beautiful. Last Saturday some parishioners, members of the Knights of Columbus, and some of the Scouts from Troop #406 were out to help spread mulch. Again, the grounds look beautiful. Thanks to everyone who helped and may God bless all for your hard work.
LITURGY LESSON: EUCHARISTIC PRAYER #5 – MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION
We continue with our Liturgy Lessons today with the next most significant moment of the Mass, known as the memorial acclamation. After the priest elevates the chalice, sets it back down upon the altar, and genuflects, he stands and will chant Mysterium Fidei [Mee-stair-ee-oom Fee-day-ee], The Mystery of Faith.
There are three options for memorial acclamation. The Church does not specify which gets used when. It’s truly up to the organist or presider to determine. The three options are:
1. We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again.
2. Save us Savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free.
3. When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.
In the theology of the Church’s liturgy, these acclamations come as a response to what has just taken place…and what has just taken place? The Word has been made flesh, Christ is now present upon our altar, the Son of God, who came to rescue us and to offer himself to the Father has made his one sacrifice and self-offering sacramentally present again. We’ve just taken part in something extraordinary, and with a cry of the heart, the Church, the Bride responds in love with these words, the memorial acclamation.
