What a wonderful feast of St. Therese of Lisieux we had here last weekend! Fr. Michael Rubeling from the Archdiocese of Baltimore led us in a parish retreat beginning with his homilies at each of the weekend Masses. Then on Monday and Tuesday nights he led us in prayer and adoration of Jesus Christ in the model of St. Therese. Those nights were very powerful for me and for everyone who attended. In addition, our Youth Minister Liz Cotrupi-Pfunder led us in music. She did a beautiful job and certainly elevated our prayers.
On Sunday at the end of the 10:30am Mass we had our Eucharistic Procession through the neighboring streets. While it was a windy day (which meant we could not use the canopy) we still had very successful procession. A big thank you to our Knights of Columbus Council, John Paul II Knights of Columbus, and representatives from the Knights of Columbus State Council. Knight PJ Shea took the lead to organize the Knights and get permission from the city for our procession. He and other members of the councils formed the honor guard for the procession, prayed the rosary, drove the lead car, and led the procession. Behind the scenes our sacristans Al Hervieux and Paul Masse ensured that all the moving parts came together. We pulled out all the stops with our altar servers as well: as many as we could fit in the sanctuary served at the Mass and procession. Finally, our choir led by Al Panone brought hymns of praise with us as we walked through the streets. I was awestruck by the turnout: a procession at least two blocks long of parishioners who walked with our Lord. What a wonderful display of faith and dedication of our parish. I know that many were quite moved by the event. Our patroness St. Therese of Lisieux is certainly looking after us to bring us closer to Christ and neighbor.
Speaking of Lisieux, our summer seminarian, Joseph Brodeur, will be in Lisieux to pray at the shrine of our patroness at the end of October. He invites any and all to send him petitions that he can bring to St. Therese. You can reach him at: [email protected].
With the month of October well underway we begin October devotions. Every Monday in October we will pray the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament at 6:00pm in the church. Eucharistic Adoration (which involves the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, hymns, incense and benediction) is one of the most important devotions in our spiritual lives. It offers us a chance to answer Jesus’ question in the Garden: “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (Mk. 14:37). Archbishop Fulton Sheen recommended a daily Holy Hour, ideally before the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Pius XII in “Mediator Dei” pointed out that different forms of Eucharistic Adoration “have brought a wonderful increase in faith and the supernatural life to the Church.”
Next weekend our 8th grade class will sell scarecrows at the end of the weekend Masses. It is a chance for them to show their artistic talents and support their activities for the year. If you want a handcrafted scarecrow for you yard this autumn, check them out after the Masses. Additionally, our Knights of Columbus Council will sell long-stem roses in honor of Respect Life Month. All the proceeds go to benefit Catholic, pro-life Mother of Life Pregnancy Center in Providence. The Center provides free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, counseling, parenting classes, material goods for babies & moms, and much more. Thank you for supporting life.
Finally, you may have noticed that the boarded windows at the convent look much better. Two of our parishioners volunteered their time to paint them. Thank you to them for making our property that much better.
Happy Columbus Day to everyone. I hope that you have a chance to rest.