August 4th was the feast day of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. There are many wonderful stories of his devotion to hearing confessions for 12 hours a day some days or attentiveness to the sacramental needs of his people. It was through prayer, fasting and penances that he was able to confront the devil and bring about a conversion to the town that he served his whole life. He is also invoked for priestly vocations, so I do encourage you to pray for vocations to the priesthood, especially from our parish.
Please note the wedding banns in the bulletin. These couples can use prayer in the last few weeks of preparation to enter this sacrament. Wish them well when you see them. It reminds us that we are part of a larger family of faith.
August 15th is the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Holy day of obligation. The vigil Mass is at St. Casimir parish on Aug. 14th at 5:15 pm. On the 15th Masses are at St. Peter parish at 8 am and 5:30 pm. Such a feast highlights Mary’s privileged role in salvation history and reveals the fact that the gates of heaven have been opened.
Mary always leads us to Jesus, so whenever in doubt, turn to her for help and guidance. From Joseph D. White’s article “Teaching Children to Pray the Rosary” I offer the following paragraph. His second point of the article is “Emphasize that the Rosary is a meditation on the life of Jesus Christ and His Church. In the Rosary, we gaze with our Blessed Mother upon pivotal moments in the life of Christ, of her life, and the life of the Church in Contemplation of their meanings. Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart, a Christocentric prayer.” Talk about the times in the life of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, and the Early Church that learners will meditate upon as they pray. These are called ‘mysteries’ in part because there is always more to explore and discover about these important moments.
Reassure your learners that as they practice praying the Hail Mary throughout the decades of the Rosary, they will become more able to use the time to concentrate on the mystery associated with each decade. In fact, part of the genius of the Rosary is that the repeated recitation of the Hail Mary helps to occupy that part of our mind that might otherwise be susceptible to distraction, allowing us more focus as we contemplate the mysteries.” Keep in mind that we are all children of God so we can always learn more about Jesus, Mary and the early Church. For the upcoming feast of the Assumption, pick up the Rosary and ask Mary to help you come to know her Son all the more deeply.
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