Notes From The Pastor’s Pen – August 25, 2019

Dear friends in Christ,

Solemnity of Saint Louis
This Sunday, August 25th, the Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Louis. Since he is the Patron Saint of this Archdiocese, his feast day is celebrated here as a Solemnity.

When the settlement of Saint Louis was founded—in 1764 on land cleared by the French fur trader René-Auguste Chouteau and a group of about thirty men—his stepfather Pierre Laclède provided detailed plans for the village, including a street grid and market area, and, not surprisingly, named what would eventually become the burgeoning city in honor of Louis IX, the King of France known for his great faith in God and dedication to his people.

Over the course of the past 255 years what was originally a small settlement has grown to over 2.8 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area. Gratefully, the Catholic Church has been present since the earliest days, with the first parish having been established in 1770. Since then, our local Catholic community has grown to over half a million members.

Louis IX was known for his strong Christian leadership. He was dedicated to his wife, Margaret of Provence, and their eleven children. He was celebrated for his passion for justice and his service to the poor. He is recognized for his commitment to the people and helping lead them to salvation.

On this important feast day, let us pray, through the intercession of Saint Louis, that the Lord will bless all of the people in the Saint Louis area and that, by our words and actions, we will do our part in promoting justice and living charity.

New roof on the school
You may have noticed this past week that the roof of our parish school is being replaced. This is being done because the former roof was decades old and in need of more than repair. A new addition will be that of insulated panels under the roof for energy conservation.

Our school serves the primary function of providing classroom space to our Parish School of Religion program, the first to have been established in our Archdiocese. This program serves both children in our parish and children in several of our surrounding parishes. Gratefully, we have dedicated catechists who work to impart the Catholic faith to the children.

Please pray for the students and the teachers in our Parish School of Religion program, that the Holy Spirit will be with them in a special way in this coming year.

In Christ,
Father Bené

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Notes From The Pastor’s Pen – August 18, 2019

Dear friends in Christ,

Mass with the Anointing of the Sick

In the Letter of Saint James, we read: “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the priests of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (5:14-15).

The liturgical celebration of the World Day of the Sick is annually commemorated on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes in February. For this reason, one of the Masses with Anointing will be celebrated here at that time of the year.

Since we’d like to provide another opportunity during the year, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will also be celebrated during the regularly scheduled Mass on Saturday, August 24, at 8:00 a.m.

This Sacrament may be received on other occasions such as in preparation for surgery, in the hospital, or near death. Nonetheless, the upcoming opportunity is being provided for those who suffer from an illness who would like to receive the grace of the Sacrament during this Mass.

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament

One of the great opportunities we have here at Saint Joseph Parish is Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament which is celebrated Monday through Thursday, from the end of the morning Mass until before the celebration of the noon Mass.

We believe that Jesus meant what He said when He told His disciples “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood” at the Last Supper. Accordingly, we believe that the bread and wine become His Body and Blood at Mass and His Real Presence remains in the consecrated species thereafter.

Through Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament we adore the Lord. One can make visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle. However, Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament provides us with the opportunity of adoring, in a solemn way, the Lord Jesus really and truly present in the Sacred Host.

Please consider signing up for Adoration during the week or at least stopping by to pray before Our Lord if you do not already do so.

In Christ,
Father Bené

Notes From The Pastor’s Pen – August 11, 2019

Dear friends in Christ,

This Thursday, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation in the universal Church. There are actually two additional feast days of Our Lady that are celebrated as solemnities in the Church, namely, the Solemnities of Holy Mary Mother of God and the Immaculate Conception.

The Solemnity of Holy Mary Mother of God celebrates the fact that Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ who is true God and true Man; the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the fact that Mary was conceived without original sin; and the Solemnity of the Assumption celebrates the fact that, when the course of her earthly life was finished, she was assumed body and soul into heaven, from where she continually intercedes on our behalf. Taken together, these feast days highlight the singularly unique role of Mary in salvation history.

For us as followers of Christ, the liturgical celebration of Our Lady’s Assumption is an invitation for us to reflect upon the fact that, as long as we remain faithful to Christ in this life, we are undoubtedly assured eternal life with Him. As the Preface of the Mass of the day tells us, “For today the Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven as the beginning and image of your Church’s coming to perfection and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people….”

May Our Lady intercede for us all, that we too one day will be brought to the glory of the Resurrection.

In Christ,
Father Bené