Using the New Missal – After all the talk about the New Roman Missal, it will finally be implemented next Sunday, 11/27. The 1st Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the Church’s Liturgical Year. In spite of all the preparation and explanation, some people will undoubtedly still ask, why the changes are taking place. The short answer is, because it is an update. In the 2000 years of the Church’s history, there have been periodic revisions of the Missal. This is the 3rd revision of the English Missal which was first introduced in 1974, after the Second Vatican Council. Prior to the beginning of this millennium, it was Pope John Paul II’s vision to introduce an updated version. The Latin version was completed and approved in 2002, and the English version was approved last year. It was Pope John Paul II’s vision, that the translation be not only more beautiful in its address to God, but also more accurate. Some of the prayers in the Missal go back to the time of Jesus and 80% are dated before the 9th century. So John Paul didn’t want future translations to lose the beauty of our heritage. Thanks to him, the new translation will preserve the richness of our heritage, as it will be used in the different languages throughout the world. As some people find change difficult, may I ask that you pray for the success of the new translation and that the transition will go smoothly? Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving – Would you believe that grateful people lead happier lives? This was from an article I read a few years back from a mental health professional. So often, we go through our busy lives from one activity to another without pause or reflection. But if we stopped and reflected for a moment, we would see that even in the most difficult of circumstances, we are blessed. If you don’t believe it, try it yourself. At the end of the day, stop and count the number of blessings you’ve received. Do that for a week and see if that will lead you to a happier life. Our parish Thanksgiving Mass will be on Thursday at 9:30am. We invite you to bring a canned or non-perishable food to that mass, and bring it up to the altar during the Preparation of the Gifts, to symbolically offer your gift of a grateful heart to God. Members of St. Vincent De Paul will accept our donations and make them available to the needy.
Stewardship – I’m always grateful for your support to our parish through the gift of your time, talent and financial gift. Our Finance Committee met last week and we looked into the operating budget. As we ended the last fiscal year with approximately $1,000 in surplus, they were concerned that with the cost of living increasing, such as insurance, salaries and health care, we might not be able to meet our increased costs with the current income. The Finance Committee suggested I ask if you would consider increasing your donation to meet this year’s rising costs. And if you haven’t given to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, might you consider giving to this appeal as well? Else, we will have to take it out of our operating budget which will increase our financial burden. Please know of my gratitude for your generosity, and my prayers for those of you who are struggling financially.
With deepest admiration and gratitude,
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Dan
