The following are meant as reminders and encouragement to make the Eucharist and reverence of the Lord the center of our worship.

When we enter Church, we make the sign of the cross as a way of affirming our baptism into the very life of the Blessed Trinity. Before we enter our pew, we genuflect on our right knee because Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament, reserved in the Tabernacle. He is the King that deserves our reverence and our homage.

2. Receiving Holy Communion

There are two ways to receive Holy Communion. The first is on the tongue. As you approach the altar, make a bow of the head out of reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist and then proceed to the communion station.

The second way is Communion in the Hand. Again, as you approach the altar, make a bow of the head, approach the Minister of the Eucharist and put your open left hand above your right with the palms of your hands facing heaven making a throne for the King of Kings. Lift your hands high enough so that the host can be easily placed in the flat palm of your hand.

Please make an effort to approach the altar with reverence; receive Our Lord correctly and return to your place and kneel, making a prayer of thanksgiving to Our Lord for the great gift of His Body and Blood. This is not the time to walk out of Church.

A big problem at Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady Churches is that some people just walk out of Church after receiving Holy Communion. The Mass has not ended. The final prayer, announcements, blessing and dismissal indicates the end of Mass. You do not fully participate in Mass if you leave before the final blessing and dismissal. It is also terribly irreverent, with our Lord present on the altar, to walk out of Church without an act of thanksgiving and final blessing.

It would be extraordinary but very courteous to wait until the procession leaves the Church before heading for the doors.

Eight Masses in our Churches with very good attendance; the Graduation of our 8th Graders; the gym humming all weekend – it is the scent of the end of the Pandemic and the return of ICA to its busy life. But the following wonderful events, on top of all I mentioned above, are why I am thrilled by the feeling that we are going to return stronger than before we shut down completely in March 2020.

The Blessing and Dedication of the Stations of the Cross in the Divine Mercy Chapel of the New Parish Center.

Last Saturday, June 12, our own Fr. André Cirino, OFM, with the permission of his Provincial, Fr. Robert Campagna, erected our new Via Crucis (14 Stations of the Cross) in the Divine Mercy Chapel. The document you see being signed in the photo will be framed and hung in the Chapel as testimony to this moment. The Parishioners who memorialized each Station were present. Señor Justo Canales, a 5th generation ceramic artist from Talavera de la Reina, Spain, made each by hand.

Mass of Welcome for New Parishioners and Dinner in the Restored Lower Church

Also last Saturday at Immaculate Conception Church, we welcomed 131 new families who registered in our parish throughout the pandemic (from March 2020 to May 2021). Our Welcome Committee sent invitations and made phone calls; many families responded. After the Mass, a dinner was served and an informational presentation was made. The group consisted of young families and children; people who moved into the area; converts to our faith; and those who have chosen to join us because they have been inspired by our many activities — especially Masses and spiritual services. You couldn’t help but be moved and extremely hopeful that we will rise from this last year strong and in the hands of the Lord.

The Feast of St. Anthony at the Church of the Assumption

Even though it was Sunday, one Mass was celebrated in Honor of St. Anthony of Padua on June 13. At the Church of the Assumption, the statue of St. Anthony was placed in the Sanctuary and surrounded by freshly-baked rolls to be blessed and distributed, as is the custom in Italy on this Feast Day. The Mass was bilingual (Italian and English) and, afterward, all came to Fr. Fata Hall for sweets, coffee and tea. Hundreds flocked to honor the beloved Saint of preachers, things lost and worker of miracles.

The moral of the story: All our buildings were vibrant with the sounds and presence of people praying, singing, working and enjoying their faith and one another’s company. Praise God!

Today is the “Sunday of Divine Mercy.” The Catholic Church has been celebrating this feast for the last 21 years ever since the Vatican made it official on April 30 in the Jubilee year 2000. Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted to bring fallen away Catholics and hardened sinners back to His love and, therefore, toward salvation.

Jesus left all the details in a diary that He commanded Saint Faustina to write in the 1930s. To get this great promise, one has to go to Confession and then receive Holy Communion within 10 days around the Feast of Divine Mercy, which has now been called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the whole Church. Jesus said, “Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment” (Diary, 300). To receive Communion worthily, one should be in the state of grace and without serious sin.

Today, how many receive Holy Communion with souls stained with mortal sins? When a person receives the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus in Holy Communion without first going to Confession to cleanse their souls, that soul is going even deeper into sin.

Many feel that their sins are unforgivable, but Jesus said, “Were a soul like a decaying corpse, so that from a human standpoint, there would be no hope of restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. In the Tribunal of Mercy (the sacrament of Confession), the greatest miracles take place and are incessantly repeated" (Diary, 1448). "Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy” (Diary 1602). Every sin imaginable could be forgiven by Him!

On the evening of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His Apostles and the first thing that He did was to give them the power to forgive sins (John 20:19- 31). This is done through the power of the Holy Spirit. For sure, it was not the Lord’s intention just for the Apostles to forgive sins but rather for that power to be passed down through the Holy Spirit to the priests of today. That is why Confession is so much an uplifting experience; we are actually receiving heavenly graces and the forgiveness of sins from the Lord Himself!

Most people have not spent much time thinking about the future. Some might think that they are brilliant and successful in this life, but what is that as compared to eternity? If you really want to be wise, think about where you are going to spend eternity. Remember these words of Jesus, “I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day, the very depths of My tender mercy are open.” So let us wake up, repent of our sins, and bask in the glory of our Risen Lord Jesus!

In his apostolic letter “Patris Corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis announced the “Year of St. Joseph” on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. The Year of St. Joseph began on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2020, and will continue to the same feast this year on December 8.

In the wake of the pandemic, perhaps we have not given due attention to this great grace in honor of St. Joseph. Pope Francis highlighted some attributes of Saint Joseph in his apostolic letter. “The greatness of Saint Joseph is that he was the spouse of Mary and the foster father of Jesus.” St. Joseph “employed his legal authority over the Holy Family to devote himself completely to them in his life and work.” He lovingly placed himself at the “service of the Messiah who was growing to maturity in his home,” noted the Pope. Arising from his role in salvation history, St. Joseph has been revered as a father by all Christians around the world.

“In Joseph, Jesus saw the tender love of God,” affirmed Pope Francis. In light of these challenging times, the Pontiff urges the faithful to follow the example of Joseph to “set aside all anger and disappointment, and to embrace the way things are, even when they do not turn out as we wish. Not with mere resignation, but with hope and courage.” The Holy Father pointed out that the faith Saint Joseph displayed was not one that looked for “shortcuts” but rather one that “confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it.”

The Holy Father also shared in his letter a prayer to Saint Joseph,
which he personally has been praying for 40 years:

Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph,
whose power makes the impossible possible,
come to my aid in these times of anguish and difficulty.
Take under your protection the serious and troubling situations
that I commend to you, that they may have a happy outcome.
My beloved father, all my trust is in you.
Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain,
and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary,
show me that your goodness is as great as your power. Amen.

He concluded his letter by adding another prayer to St. Joseph,
asking for his intercession to obtain grace, mercy and courage:

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you, God entrusted his only Son;
in you, Mary placed her trust;
with you, Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.

At Mass today, the Lector began by saying, “Today is the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.” I am not a big fan of the expression “ordinary time” because we think, in America, that the word means plain or unimportant. But there is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time.

The term “ordinary” does not mean common or plain but is derived from the term ordinal, or "numbered." The weeks in Ordinary Time are numbered, although several Sundays are named for the feast they commemorate: Trinity Sunday (the first Sunday after Pentecost); the Feast of Christ the King (the last Sunday in Ordinary Time); and, for American Catholics, the Feast of Corpus Christi (the second Sunday after Pentecost). From now until the end of November, we will hear and read the numbered (ordinal) week until the 34th Week in Ordinary Time. With the exceptions marked above, green is the liturgical color of Ordinary Time.

Ordinary Time comprises two periods: one following Epiphany, the other following Pentecost. They do not fall under the "strong seasons" of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.

Spiritually, the weeks of Ordinary Time give us the scriptures that have us learn at the feet of Jesus. We become like His first disciples and listen to the teachings, miracles, and healing as we walk with Him through His earthly ministry. We go back to school – the school of the Master. During the Festal weeks of the year, we focus on a Mystery of Our Lord, like His birth, death, resurrection and ascension. During Ordinary Time, we walk with Him through Galilee down to Jerusalem and learn.

May the weeks of Ordinary Time be extraordinary weeks in our spiritual growth.

A Prayer for Ordinary Time

Creator Redeemer Sustainer God,
How extraordinary is Your “ordinary time.”
How uncommon is the commonplace in Your Kingdom.
The mundane is made miraculous, full of holy opportunities.
The smallest joy a jubilee!

Created anew, may we grow tall and “grace-full” in Your likeness.
Redeemed by Your sacrifice, may we come to know the depths of Your love.
Sustained by Your Spirit, may we be steadfast and shining in Your service.

We humbly ask that You continue to bless us with all we need
for the living of these days — these wondrous ordinary days — that our everyday lives
may be gifted to experience the vitality of Christian community,
to share Your message of hope, reaching out to the poor and hurting,
and bringing glory and honor to You, our God. Amen.

-- by Deborah Harris, Sacred Seasons, Pentecost/Ordinary Time 1999