Tag: Franciscan Friar of the Renewal

Around the Parish – July 28, 2024

Written by on July 27, 2024. Posted in News, Around the Parish.

In last weekend’s bulletin, we announced that Joseph Dumais would be invested into the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. This week we are able to share that his new religious name is Brother Ezekiel Thomas! Congratulations to Bro. Zeke and the Dumais Family. I know you will join me in continuing to pray for Brother Ezekiel Thomas as he continues his discernment with the Friars, as well as praying for an increase in the response of young people to the call of God to vocations in the priesthood and consecrated life, especially from our parish and our diocese.

If you wish to send a card of greeting, congratulations, and offer of support through prayer, you can send it to:

Br. Ezekiel Thomas
PO Box 404
South Orange NJ 07079

In this weekend’s bulletin, there is a notice about some impending paving work we need to address before winter. The asphalt in the upper parking lot has deteriorated to the point of creating dangerous potholes and erosion, requiring us to have it resurfaced before winter to ensure safety.

After reaching out to three companies, the Parish Finance Council has chosen to work with Smith Paving for this critical project. The minimum estimated cost is $20,500, but this amount may increase depending on what we discover during the process.

We are asking for your financial assistance as well as prayers to help us cover these necessary expenses. Your support is greatly needed and deeply appreciated.

Here are a few thoughts for the week ahead:

Worry pulls tomorrow’s potential of a cloud over today’s guaranteed sunshine. Life has no remote; we need to get up and change things ourselves. Remember, God doesn’t ask for ability, but for our availability.

Pax et Bonum, Fr. Andy

The Power and Tradition of Mass Intentions

The Mass is considered the greatest prayer of intercession in the Church. This is because it is the perfect offering of Christ to the Father, making present the Paschal Mystery of His death and resurrection. Traditionally, a Priest may be requested to offer a Mass for a specific intention, even if the requester cannot be physically present.

Offering Masses for the Deceased:

Having a Mass offered for a deceased person is an ancient and commendable practice. A Mass is offered to pray for the departed, that they may find peace in heaven. Since each Mass holds infinite value, requesting one or several Masses is of tremendous benefit to the person prayed for, as well as their family, who can take comfort in knowing that their intention is united with the prayers of the Church.

The Mass: Center of Christian Life:

Every Mass is a precious gift from God. It is the center of the Church’s life, known as “the source and summit of the Christian life,” because in the celebration of the Mass, we are brought back to Jesus’ Last Supper, the first Mass. We consciously recall the love of God poured out for us through the life, death, and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ. At each Mass, all the intentions of God’s people, both living and deceased, are included. As Pope Paul VI noted in his motu proprio “Firma in Traditione,” the faithful, moved by an ecclesial and religious sense, join their own sacrifices to the Eucharistic sacrifice, participating more intensely and supporting the Church’s needs, especially its ministers.

Requesting a Mass Intention:

Anyone may request a Mass Intention for a living person, a deceased person, members of a family, or a special intention appropriate to the celebration of the Eucharist, such as World Peace, Vocations, or Respect for Life. The Church allows only one intention per Mass.

Offering a Mass Stipend:

The normal stipend offering for a Mass is $10. However, a Mass Offering can be more or less than the suggested amount, depending on the financial position of the person requesting the Mass. Envelopes for Mass intention requests are available at the entrances of the church. These envelopes can be placed in the collection basket or returned to the parish office. The requester may also ask for a card to be sent to notify someone that a Mass Intention has been requested (one card per intention). Please note that the name of the person(s) requesting the Mass is not announced.

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Around the Parish – July 21, 2024

Written by on July 20, 2024. Posted in News, Around the Parish.

Exciting news for a family in our parish: The Dumais’ son Joseph will be celebrating his investiture with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal this Monday, July 22. The investiture for the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal is a ceremony where postulants receive their religious habit, marking their formal commitment to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. This includes a Mass or prayer service and the presentation of the grey tunic, cord, and hood. While this is a private ceremony for the men that are discerning a vocation to the community, we join in prayer for thanksgiving to God for Joseph as he continues to discern his calling toward the religious life. Let us also pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially from our parish and for our diocese.

Since this past Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of Catholics from all over have been in Indianapolis at the Tenth National Eucharistic Congress. This great gathering of Catholics is focused around the Holy Eucharist and its importance in our daily lives. I ask that you keep these people in prayer as the journey home this weekend. Keep also in prayer the blessings that will come forth from this amazing gathering that Our God has permitted and blessed.

Included in this weekend’s bulletin is information about mass intentions. The greatest form of prayer is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and therefore offering the mass for an intention is very important to us Catholics. It is customary to offer the mass especially for the dead on their date of death or a special anniversary. Many saints speak about the ineffable graces that come from offering the Holy Sacrifice for our deceased relatives. St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us: “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is of infinite value. The souls in Purgatory are incapable of helping themselves. They can no longer merit, as we can. They cannot pray for themselves. But we can help them by our prayers, penances, and especially by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” Let us pray for all of our beloved, both living and deceased.