Recurring Special Days in the Parish
RECURRING DATES
- THREE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Masses for the Sick with Anointing
• Mid-September (Saturday – 9:00 AM)
• Mid-February (Saturday – 9:00 AM, near to the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes)
• Mid-May, Day of the Sick (Saturday – 9:00 AM, near to the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima)
What is the Anointing of the Sick
The question has been asked of me as to what the Anointing of the Sick is. It is reasonable that having been invited to a Mass with the Anointing of the Sick to be conferred, there is a genuine interest in wanting to know what the meaning of it is. It’s a good question. St. Augustine said: “Education is the food of youth, the delight of old age, the ornament of prosperity, the refuge and comfort of adversity, and the provocation to grace in the soul.”
Through the Anointing of the Sick (previously known as extreme unction), the Church commends the faithful who are sick to the suffering and glorified Lord, for relief and salvation. The Anointing of the Sick is not only a sacrament for those who are at the point of death, but it is also for those who begin to be in danger of death from sickness or old age. Moreover, this sacrament serves as the spiritual strengthening of the sick person during the time of illness when dying. The Anointing of the Sick has great significance for those struggling with mental illnesses, fears, and traumas – it strengthens mental health as well.
The anointing is carefully performed, conferred, by a Priest. The Priest first anoints (puts oil) on the forehead of the sick person (this means it is necessary that your forehead be visible when coming forward for the sacrament), and then the Priest anoints (puts oil) on the hands of the sick person (hold your hands in front of you near your heart, with your palms facing upwards and your hands wide opened to receive the sacred oil).
Only a priest validly administers the Anointing of the Sick, since the sacrament is theologically considered to be the complement of the Sacrament of Penance. It belongs to the Pastor to decide who can receive the Anointing of the Sick.
Welcome to all. It will be good to see those who are able to attend. Yet, whether you are able to or not, you will be remembered. There is no need to sign up, simply arrive as you can.
I am looking forward to seeing you at this Mass and encourage you to attend. If at all possible, please arrange for someone who can bring you to the Mass.
Peace, Fr. Robert.
- DATES WITHIN THE YEAR THAT VARY ACCORING TO THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR
Morning Prayer ~ Holy Thursday and Good Friday
• (9:00 AM)
The Triduum begins at this Parish by extending an invitation to come and join in on Holy Thursday at 9:00 AM with the reciting of the Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. If you have your own Breviary, it would be most welcomed if you bring it. Otherwise, the parish will provide everything needed for all who attend to participate in this Liturgical prayer of the Church. On Good Friday morning at
9:00 AM, Morning Prayer is recited again with the same invitation extended to come and join in.
Blessing of the Easter Basket
• (Easter Saturday Morning)
In many Eastern European countries, it is a tradition to have a basket of food blessed on Holy Saturday. In Poland, for example, the blessing of the food basket has been part of its tradition and has been practiced since at least the fifteenth-century or earlier. The Holy Saturday blessing of the Easter basket remains a practice for most families in Poland to this present day.
Everything in the Easter basket has a special significance, and the blessed food is eaten at breakfast on Easter Sunday. While every family has its own traditions, yet there are some things about the Easter basket that are common to all.
Decorating the Basket
A lot of thought, time, and care are put into collecting and preparing the foods that will go into the Easter basket as well as its presentation. First, the basket is lined with an embroidered cloth or traditional folk fabric. The basket is filled, and then it is covered with a white linen cloth (some of the linen cloths have a colorfully crocheted edging or an embroidered design) representing the shroud of Christ. The basket itself is then ready to be decorated.
In rural Poland, for a woman, the size of the basket and what is placed in it is a matter of great pride (sometimes wooden bowls or even dresser drawers are used) and reflects her standing in the community.
Symbolic Foods
A variety of symbolic foods are placed in a typical European Easter basket, although families also personalize their basket to their liking. Within the blessing, there is a separate special blessing said for each: meat, eggs, cake, and bread, so baskets will most likely include these ingredients.
The basket might possibly include a little bird’s nest cake made with the leftover dough used for the figure of the lamb mentioned below, hard boiled eggs studded with cloves representing the nails of the cross, as well as sausages, ham, salt, and pepper. Also common are: horseradish, a figurine of a lamb made out of butter, or butter stuffed into a shot glass studded with a clove, and a small, round bakery rye bread topped with a paper decal in the shape of a purple cross. Some families will include, greens, vegetables, and fruits in their baskets, but for other families they are never included.
- Bacon is a symbol of the abundance of God’s mercy.
- Bread is usually braided, representing the staff of life given by God.
- Easter bread is a round cake of rich, eggy yeast dough with raisins that is reminiscent of the Risen Lord.
- Butter is one of the dairy products included to celebrate the end of Lent and the richness of our Salvation. The butter is often shaped into a lamb, which is symbolic of the Paschal Lamb. Sometimes the lamb is made of dough, wood, or even plastic. It can also be made of sugar or chocolate.
- Candles symbolize Jesus, the “Light of the World,” and can be lit when the priest blesses the baskets of food.
- Cheese is a symbol to remind Christians of moderation.
- Colored eggs, as well as uncolored hard-cooked eggs, indicate hope, new life, and Christ rising from his tomb.
- Ham, as well as other meats, symbolize great joy and abundance in celebration of Christ’s Resurrection.
- Sausages are symbolic of the chains of death that were broken when Jesus rose from the dead, as well as of God’s generosity.
- Horseradish is a reminder of the bitterness and harshness of the Passion of Jesus, and the vinegar it is mixed with symbolizes the sour wine given to Jesus on the cross.
- Salt is present to add zest to life and preserve us from corruption.
- Sweets suggest the promise of eternal life or the good things to come.
Family Traditions
Although families often have their own traditions when it comes to the Easter basket, one surely observed is that the basket includes enough food so every family member can have a bite of all the blessed foods after Mass on Easter Sunday. This is a savoured sampling of the Easter dinner foods, and also included are some daily staples.
- RECURRING YEARLY BLESSINGS and FEAST DAYS (Listed Chronologically)
Feast Day of The Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas) February 2nd
• (Mass at 8:00 AM)
This day the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, which occurs 40 days after the birth of Jesus, when Mary, in obedience to the Jewish law, went to the temple in Jerusalem, both to be purified and to present Jesus to God as her first-born son. It is also known as Candlemas day, since the blessing (and procession) of candles is part of the day’s liturgy.
Founded by St. Pope John Paul II in 1997, this day is the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. He attached it to Candela Day because consecrated men and women are to be a light to the world, imitating Jesus, the light of the world.
In the Catholic Church we have an old tradition where we bless candles (baptism candles) on this day.
If you would like to have your baptism candles, or other candles blessed, please bring them to this Mass.
Blessing of the Throats – Feast Day of St. Blaise February 3rd
• (Mass at 8:00 AM)
St. Blaise devoted the early years of his life to the study of Philosophy and afterward became a physician. He was ordained to the priesthood and made Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, where he was seized and carried off to prison by Agricolous, the Governor. As the Saint was led away, a distracted mother whose child was suffering from a disease of the throat implored his aid. At his intercession the child was cured, and since that time his aid has often been solicited in such cases. After cruel tortures the Saint was beheaded about the year 320. He is listed as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. (Lives of the Saints)
The devotion of the blessing of the throats, invoking the intercession of St. Blaise will be given after morning Mass.
Blessing of the Bread ~ Optional Memorial of St. Agatha (February 5th)
• (Mass at 8:00 AM)
On February 5th, is the memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr. Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀγαθή (Agathe), derived from Greek ἀγαθός (agathos) meaning “good”. Saint Agatha was a 3rd-century martyr from Sicily who was tortured and killed after spurning the advances of a Roman official.
St. Agatha’s name appears in the Roman Canon which is the Eucharistic prayer used in the Mass of the Roman Rite and dates its arrangement to at least the 7th century. She is the patron saint of breast cancer patients and of various localities in Italy and elsewhere.
On the Feast day of St. Agatha during the 8:00 AM Mass, will be a blessing of the bread. The bread is taken home and instead of eating it, it is kept at home to protect from fire and calamities.
Blessing of the Seeds ~ To be Announced for a Saturday in April
• (A Saturday to be designated at a 9:00 AM Mass)
The parable of the sower is in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 13:1-9, Mark 4:1-9, Luke 8:4-8). In this Gospel Jesus says the seed represents the Word of God (the Gospel), the sower represents anyone who proclaims it, and the different kinds of soil represent how people receive that Word. The parable is based on an ordinary yearly event, the sowing of seeds. Planting time was the same when Jesus walked this earth and continues to this day and will never change. Every spring (April in the northern hemisphere or September in the southern hemisphere), seeds are planted to provide us with the food we need. And, it is our responsibility to pay heed to the gift God has given to us in seeds and ask for His blessing of the seeds at a special Mass on a Saturday at 9:00 AM in the month of April (day to be announced yearly).
Blessing of the Cars ~ St. Christopher’s Day (July 25th).
• (Saturday – 3:30 PM, near St. Christopher’s Feast Day)
St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers and of children. He is one of the most popular Saints of the East and West. There are many legends concerning this Saint. One of the most popular of them holds that St. Christopher was a giant who helped people across a raging stream. It is believed that he carried the Christ Child across this same stream. Hence, his name Christopher, Christ-bearer. He is Patron of motorists, and is invoked against storms, plagues, etc. He died a Martyr during the reign of Decius in the 3rd century and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers invoked for emergencies or afflictions. (Lives of the Saints)
Blessing for a Car: Grant your blessing, Lord God, upon these cars, and bless those who use them. Let them not abuse, harm, or destroy your creation, or use these vehicles to disturb or hurt other people. May they use these vehicles for your honour and glory, for the benefit and service of others, and to build up your holy Church.
Blessing of School Supplies and Backpacks.
• (Sunday after Labour Day)
All students have a serious responsibility to commit themselves to the upcoming year’s curriculum of study. By students having their supplies and backpacks blessed, it will aid and protect them during the many hours of learning in the school year ahead of them.
Blessing of the Crosses ~ The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14th).
• (Mass at 11:00 AM)
On this day, the cruelty of the Cross is not what is exalted, but the Love that God manifested to humanity by accepting death on the Cross: “Who, though in the form of God, emptied himself, taking the form of a slave. This is the glory of the Cross of Jesus!” (Pope Francis).
Lifting up our gaze to God expresses a very important truth: we are invited to enter back into relationship with Him. We need to stop turning in on ourselves, uselessly nurturing a sense of guilt and forgetting that “in whatever our hearts condemn, God is greater than our hearts”. (1 Jn 3:20). Let us lift up our eyes toward the stars (remember Abraham and the promise of many descendants), knowing how to cast every worry onto God. (Pope Benedict XVI).
We adore You, o Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You
Have redeemed the world.
Guardian Angels (October 2nd).
• (Mass at 11:00 AM)
From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by the watchful care and intercession of angels. “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. (CCC 336).
Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are his angels: “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him. . ” They belong to him because they were created through and for him: “for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.” They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?” (CCC 331).
Prayer to my Guardian Angel
O Angel of God, my Guardian dear
to Whom God Loves
be with me here
Ever this night, be at my side
to Light and Guard
to Rule and Guide.
Amen
Blessing of the Animals ~ St. Francis of Assisi (October 4th)
• (Saturday – 3:30 PM, near St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day)
As his way of approaching God, St. Francis lived a life close to nature. He called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters,”. He preached to the birds. By promising a wolf that the townspeople would feed him, the wolf agreed to stop attacking the people of the town and their livestock.
St. Francis wrote “The Canticle of Brother Sun” at a time of serious illness for him, and it expresses the freedom of a soul reconciled with God in Christ. Saint Francis accepted “sister death” with joy knowing he would be going to Jesus.
BENEDICT XVI in a general audience at Paul VI Audience Hall, on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, said: Saint Francis was instrumental in renewing the Church. On the one hand, it is interesting to note it is not the Pope who was helping to prevent the church from collapsing but rather a small and insignificant brother, whom the Pope recognized it was through Francis this was being accomplished when he later came to visit. Innocent III was a powerful Pope who had a great theological formation and great political influence; nevertheless, he was not the one to renew the Church but this small, insignificant religious. It was St Francis, called by God. Yet, it is important to note that St Francis did not renew the Church without or in opposition to the Pope, but only in communion with him. The two realities go together: the Successor of Peter, the Bishops, the Church founded on the succession of the Apostles and the new charism that the Holy Spirit brought to life at that time through St. Francis for the Church’s renewal. Authentic renewal grew from these together.
St. Francis died the evening of October 2, 1226.
Remembrance Day November 11th
• (Mass at 11:00 AM)
Since many people cannot make it to the commemoration on Parliament Hill on November 11th, at
11:00 AM, a Remembrance Day Mass is celebrated here at Resurrection of Our Lord Parish at 11:00 AM, beginning with two minutes of silence. Veterans are invited to the Mass wearing their uniforms and medals.
Thank you to all Veterans who served our Country
and protected us so that we can live in peace.
We love you!
In Flanders Fields
(BY JOHN MCCRAE)
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Feast Day of the Holy Innocents December 28th
• (Pro-Life Mass at 11:00 AM)
The Massacre of the Infants.
When Herod realized he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.”
(Matthew 2:16-17)