23 September: Feast of Saint Padre Pio

23 September: Feast of Saint Padre Pio

by | Sep 20, 2020 | CIC Saint Writeups

23 September: Feast of Saint Padre Pio. This feast is in honor of Italian Franciscan priest St. Pio of Petrelcina, better known as “Padre Pio” and renowned for his suffering, humility and miracles. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione in 1887 as one of seven children. His growing up years were marked by daily Mass, family rosary, and acts of penance. He decided at a young age to dedicate his life to God. In 1903, he put on the Franciscan habit as a Capuchin Friar. Capuchin priests seek extreme poverty, strictness, and simplicity. He took the name Pio, a modern Italian form of “Pius,” in honor of Pope St. Pius V. He was ordained a priest in 1910. Padre Pio suffered through health problems and serious illness. He experienced religious ecstasy and attacks from the devil (friars would report strange noises from his cell). In 1918, Padre Pio first received the painful Stigmata – the five wounds of Christ’s passion. This made him the first stigmatized priest in Church history. During World War I, Padre Pio served in the military and offered his own personal suffering for an end to war. Once again, he received the Stigmata wounds. They would remain with him for 50 years. Countless doctors looked at his wounds with no explanation. His wounds bled painfully every day with no drop in blood pressure. Against his wishes, Padre Pio’s reputation for holiness and miracles began to attract crowds. Countless people flocked to his confessional and many more received his saintly counsel and spiritual guidance through correspondence. His life was marked by long hours of fervent prayer and patient suffering. Padre Pio died in 1968, and was declared a saint in 2002.

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

  • Watch this reflection with Deacon Gus
  • Today’s menu should include Italian foods in honor of this Italian born saint (cappuccino, pasta, risotto, pizza, etc). For today’s feast day treat, make easy “Stigmata rice krispy treats”: use a hand shaped cookie cutter (or your own hand as a guide!) to cut out rice krispy treats. Use a dab of red icing in the center of the hand treats to look like a Stigmata.
  • St. Padre Pio loved to hear confessions: his feast day is a great reminder for us! Put it on your calendar and make a commitment to go to confession soon.
  • Watch a free video on FORMED about Padre Pio
  • Family prayer time: St. Padre Pio said that “Prayer is the oxygen of the soul.”  Before bedtime, kneel together as a family and take turns praying. Try to make this a part of your daily routine. Padre Pio’s own family was known for praying a family rosary – try to add this to your family life, too! Pray virtual rosaries with your parish family (click here for the link to pray at 7pm on Su, Mo, Tu, Thu, Fr). This is a beautiful way for your children to see prayer modeled by their parents and fellow parishioners.

14 September 2020: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

14 September 2020: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

by | Sep 13, 2020 | CIC Saint Writeups

 

This feast day focus is on the cross itself and commemorates three historical events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena; the dedication of the churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; and the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by the emperor Heraclius II. After the resurrection of Christ, Jewish and Roman authorities tried to hide the Holy Sepulchre, Christ’s tomb. Earth was mounded up and pagan temples were built on top. Tradition said the Cross on which Christ had died had been hidden somewhere in the vicinity. Saint Helena (mother of the emperor Constantine) was divinely inspired to travel to Jerusalem in 326 to find the True Cross. Three crosses were found. Saint Helena and Saint Macarius, the bishop of Jerusalem, devised an experiment to determine which was the True Cross. The crosses were taken to a woman who was near death; when she touched the True Cross, she was healed. Another tradition says the body of a dead man was brought and laid upon each cross. The True Cross restored the dead man to life. Constantine constructed churches at the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated. The feast slowly spread from Jerusalem to other churches, until, by the year 720, the celebration was universal. In the early seventh century, the Persians conquered Jerusalem and captured the True Cross. Heraclius II defeated them and restored the True Cross to Jerusalem. Tradition says that he carried the Cross on his own back, but when he attempted to enter the church on Mount Calvary, a strange force stopped him. Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem, seeing the emperor struggling, advised him to take off his royal robes and crown and to dress in a penitential robe instead. As soon as Heraclius did so, he was able to carry the True Cross into the church. This feast day, more than anything else, is a celebration of God’s greatest work: His death and resurrection which defeated death and opened Heaven. Christ transformed an instrument of torture and humiliation into a symbol of salvation. The entrance antiphon for this Feast: “We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through him we are saved and made free.”

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

  • Watch this reflection from Deacon Gus Suarez (here)
  • Craft project: make and decorate a cross. Build a “yard cross” out of big pieces of lumber or tree limbs. Make sure that blessed crucifixes are displayed prominently throughout your home.
  • Eat foods like red tomatoes, and drink beverages such as fruit punch or red wine, reminding us of the blood Jesus shed. Mozzarella cheese is white and reminds us of our baptismal garments (when we were signed with the cross). Cook with sweet basil, which tradition says grew over the place where the True Cross had been buried. Use wooden skewers and make an appetizer of tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese. The wood of the skewers reminds us of the wood of the cross. Idea Or, just enjoy pasta night with the above ingredients!
  • Make a dessert in the form of a cross, or decorated with a cross. Although usually made on Good Friday, hot cross buns would also be perfect for today. Recipe
  • Pray the Stations of the Cross. The prayer repeated at each station: We adore You, O Christ, and praise You, Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
  • Available on FORMED is a story about St. Helena and the True Cross: watch

 

 

 

 

 

Altar Server Training for EF & OF

Altar Server Training for EF & OF

by | Sep 7, 2020 | School, Parish Life, The Latest

If you would like to serve at the altar, and have made your First Holy Communion, training to do so is coming! Please complete and return the registration form & COVID-19 waiver. The schedule is:

  • To serve at OF Mass: training will be on Sundays for 3 weeks: 13, 20 and 27 September from 4-5.30p
  • To serve at EF Mass: training will be on Sundays for 8 weeks: in Croghan Hall for 13, 20 and 27 September at 1p, then in Church for 4 October at 1p, then in Croghan Hall 11, 18, 25 October, then in Church at the EF 12n Mass for 1 November with review in Croghan Hall. All sessions will last 30-45 minutes.