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September 18, 2022Dear Parishioners,
Mark your calendars! In just a few weeks we celebrate our parish feast weekend for St. Therese (October 1-2). This year we will hold a special parish mission to honor our patroness. Fr. Michael Rubeling from the Archdiocese of Baltimore will come and preach all the weekend Masses. On Monday and Tuesday October 3rd and 4th he will offer Eucharistic Adoration reflections on a particular part of St. Teresa’s life. Also, immediately following the 10:30am Mass that Sunday, October 2nd we will have a Eucharistic Procession through the streets of our neighborhood.
St. Therese of Lisieux has been called “the greatest saint of modern times,” and her life and writings have led millions of people all over the world to Jesus Christ. During this parish mission, Fr. Rubeling, will explore the life of St. Therese through the lens of her struggle with fear and anxiety. Toward the end of her life, Therese was able to say with holy confidence, “I am far from being on the way of fear,” and our hope is that all of us will be able to share that confidence in the love of Jesus Christ. All are invited, especially all families, to this three-day parish mission (October 2-4) as we encounter St. Therese as Beloved Daughter, Carmelite Sister, and Missionary.
The mission will focus on three parts of Therese’s life. During the homily at all the weekend Masses (October 1-2), he will introduce St. Therese as a beloved daughter in her family and how the love and suffering in her family allowed God to overcome fear in her life. On Monday, October 3rd at 7:00pm we will have a Holy Hour and reflection on Therese as a Carmelite sister. We will unpack St. Thesese’s life as a Carmelite Sister and how her focus on prayer can improve our spiritual lives. Finally on Tuesday, October 4th we will have a Holy Hour and reflection on Therese as a missionary. We will learn how a young girl who barely left her hometown could become the patroness of missionaries, and how we can follow in her footsteps to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our parish and our families.
You may have noticed something unique that we will be doing after the 10:30am Mass on October 2nd: a Eucharistic Procession. What is a Eucharistic Procession? In a word, it is bringing Christ to the streets and homes of our neighbors. Practical speaking, that means carrying the Eucharist in a monstrance under a canopy through the streets. We will loop through the streets with incense, cross, candles, and hopefully many parishioners. Our Knights of Columbus Council is sponsoring this wonderful event. I encourage everyone to join us as a testament to our belief in the Eucharist.
Finally, this weekend our Knights of Columbus hold their Car Wash Fundraiser. These funds help support there many charitable activities throughout the year. We are blessed to have a fantastic Knights council here at St. Teresa Church. It is always looking for more good men (or men who want to become good through their work) to join. Please talk to me for more information.
God bless,
Fr. Barrow
