Dear Parishioners:
Fr. Healey distributes First Holy Communion
It was truly a beautiful day and celebration last Saturday as 43 children of OLM received First Holy Communion. It was a joyful Mass full of faith and hope, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI speaking to children about First Communion, said:
“The day of my First Holy Communion was one of the most beautiful days of my life. It is the same for you, isn’t it? And why is that? It’s not only because of our nice clothes or the gifts we receive, nor even because of the parties! It is above all because, that day, we receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time! When I receive Communion, Jesus comes to live in me. I should welcome him with love and listen closely to him. In the depths of my heart.”
Following the Mass, the children crowned the Blessed Mother Mary, the Queen of the May! They presented Mary with a crown and fresh blossoms to signify her queenship as the mother of Christ, the King of the Universe. They also received a Scapular. The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was given by Mother Mary herself to the Carmelite friar, St. Simon Stock. With special promises to its wearers, the brown scapular is a sign of devotion and personal consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our First Communion Class is now under her mantle of protection and love.
“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”
Let us pray for our First Communion Class and their families. May they grow in love and adoration of the Eucharistic Lord. May they worthily and faithfully receive Our Lord in Holy Communion at Mass every Sunday of their lives!
Our first weekend without some of the COVID restrictions and with 80% seating capacity in the church worked out very well. No ropes on pews is a most welcome sight. It appears that more people are returning to Mass, a great sign of hope! Indeed I saw a few people I haven’t seen in over a year! Welcome back!
It was a joy to fill up the Holy Water fonts again! There are two methods of blessing ourselves with Holy Water, dipping our fingers in the font or using one of the automatic Holy Water dispensers. Either way, it is another welcome return of a beautiful sacramental! Processing into Mass and singing again was also joyous. The hymnals are back in the pews. So pick them up and sing with gusto and joy in praise of the Lord! As St. Augustine reminds us: “To sing is to pray twice!”
It was wonderful to have our Parish Choir back singing at the 10:30 am Mass last Sunday. Their voices are a tremendous sign of joy and hope. The Choir is always looking for new voices, so if you are interested in singing with praise to the Lord, please contact our Music Director, Henri St. Louis. We still need more ushers to volunteer to serve at weekend Masses. They help greet people, open and close doors, take up and secure the collection, and to see to the good order of the church and congregation. If you are an adult man or woman and are able to help the parish with this critical service, please contact the Parish Office.
OLM Parishioners safely worshipping at Holy Mass
We hope to schedule a training session for ushers and anticipate their return to duty sometime in June. In the meantime, please continue to use the safe in the vestibule for the weekly collection. It works well and allows people to drop off their envelopes and donations conveniently and safely at any time.
Over the last year, many parishioners signed up for online giving. I encourage you to consider this method of support for the parish as it is very convenient, secure, and safe. You can sign-up or learn more about it on the parish website by clicking the link to Parish Giving.
Lifting the COVID restrictions is a gradual process. And as we return to our usual practices at Mass, I ask for your continued patience. We are required to still continue to wear facemasks while at Mass, sanitize our hands upon entering the Church, and keep a social distance of three feet. I am grateful for your cooperation. With more people getting vaccinated, we are slowly returning to normal practices., I encourage you to please get vaccinated for your health and well-being but also to serve the common good of our community and parish.
Join us at Devotions on Mondays as we pray for an end to the pandemic! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless.