Our parish Carnival is this week at Notre Dame de Lourdes. Enjoy your evenings at the Carnival (6-10 pm, Thursday through Saturday) and please pray for good weather throughout the course of the Carnival. Thank you to our Carnival organizers, sponsors, and volunteers. I’m coming funnel cake!
The Drama Program’s Karaoke event was a fun evening of singing, dancing, food, and fellowship. Thank you to our Drama Program for organizing the event and thanks for your support and participation. We look forward to the auditions and performances of Aladdin Jr.
This final week of September celebrates several saints in the Roman Catholic Church. Prominent among these would be St. Jerome, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Michael, and the other Archangels.
St. Jerome, reportedly, had a challenging disposition. He is always pictured with a lion at his side. Approach with caution. Yet it was St. Jerome who, while engaged in the tremendous task of translating the Old Testament from Hebrew into Latin, and the New from Greek into Latin, invited many women to work with him in this endeavor. A famous quote of St. Jerome is: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” St. Jerome’s feast day is 30 September.
St. Vincent de Paul was born after the Reformation but he, along with other great saints of that era, responded to the spiritual uproar by reminding us of what faith requires – loving service to all of God’s children. While this response of love would bring people back to the embrace of the Church it was equally important to catechize the faithful through the education and the formation of the clergy. St. Vincent’s work continues four centuries later through the work of the Vincentian religious communities – The Congregation of the Missions, and the Daughters of Charity, as well as through the work of the St. Vincent de Paul society. St. Vincent’s feast day is 27 September.
In between these two feasts we celebrate the Archangels on Friday. The archangels are Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. These three work with each other yet individually they have a unique mission. St. Michael protects, St. Gabriel announces, and St. Raphael guides.
The term “angel” means “messenger.” Angels are personal and immortal creatures with intelligence and free will. Angels constantly glorify God, and they serve as messengers of God to humanity to carry out God’s saving plan.
There is a hierarchy of Angels which is also known as the Choir of Angels the hierarchy is:
- Seraphim – attendants to God who sing his praises.
- Cherubim – defenders of heaven
- Thrones – bestow peace and humility.
- Dominions – leadership
- Virtues – govern all aspects of nature.
- Powers – defenders against evil.
- Archangels – three unique Angels with a special mission.
- Principalities – govern nations.
- Guardians – protect individuals.
October is quickly approaching. Please take note of the following events of next month.
- Forty Hours at Our Lady of Peace Church. Our parish Forty Hours devotion will begin at 11:30 Mass on Sunday, 8 October. The devotion continues with Evening Prayer at 7:00 pm on Sunday and Monday. Our forty hours concludes with Mass, Procession, Benediction, and a social on Tuesday, 10 October beginning at 7:00pm. Please consider spending time before the Blessed Sacrament during these special devotional days at our parish.
- Blessing of Animals will be celebrated at Peace Plaza (the grassy gazebo area between OLP Church and the former convent) at 1:30 pm on Sunday, 1 October (next Sunday). Your furry, feathery, and scaly friends will be blessed with holy water as we seek the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi for their well-being and protection.