SCCR Parish Blog

It has been a very long and trying year since public Masses were canceled just over a year ago and Holy Week was constrained to the home. Good to have people back in church again.  Because of Covid, we had to restrict our Palm Sunday procession to the bare minimum. Because of that, I am reposting part of an entry from Palm Sunday a year ago, with some beautiful Palm Sunday and Holy Week hymns. All Glory, Laud & Honor   - a traditional hymn sung during the entrance (Palm) Procession.  This version is taken from the National Catholic Shrine in Washington, D.C. (Basilica of the Immaculate Conception).    Written by an 8th century bishop.   Lyrics here . O Sacred Head Surrounded , sung by the Benedictine Sisters of Mary from Kansas.  A hauntingly beautiful reflection on the Crucifixion of Our Lord, that is fitting to accompany the Passion reading.  This was probably written by the great 11th century saint Bernard of Clairvaux. ...

  As we head into Holy Week this Palm Sunday, I wanted to share this beautiful meditation on the Crucifixion (see St. John's Gospel) by Reni.

 Here is a deep reflection on the Annunciation (which we celebrate today) by Pope St. Leo the Great.  It is in the Church's official daily prayer book, called the Liturgy of the Hours (breviary). The highlight of the reflection is this: One and the same person – this must be said over and over again – is truly the Son of God and truly the son of man.  Jesus is God and man, and took his human nature (manhood) from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was truly the Mother of God.  He became man so he could save man from his sins. From a letter of Saint Leo the Great, pope The mystery of man's reconciliation with God Lowliness is assumed by majesty, weakness by power, mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our sinful state, a nature that was incapable of suffering was joined to one that could suffer. Thus, in keeping with the healing that we needed, one and the same mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, was able to die in one nature, and unable to die...

  The National Catholic Register has a brief story on the narrow Senate   confirmation of Mr. Xavier Becerra as the secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden/Harris administration. Pro-life groups from both parties are alarmed at this turn of events, because he has a long record of attempting to force participation in abortion at the state level as well as denial of the rights of pro-lifers and of religious liberty.  You might recall that under his direction, the State sued the Little Sisters of the Poor to attempt to force them to provide contraception to their employees, against their conscience and Catholic belief.  Mr. Becerra was baptized Catholic. 

  This article from the National Catholic Register contains a beautiful reflection on St. Joseph  as the guardian of the Christ child by Archbishop Joseph Nauman of Kansas City. There are links at the bottom of the article to many other good pieces on the St. whose feast we celebrate today in his holy year, including a good "examination of conscience" ( confession guide ) for men, modeled after St. Joseph's virtues and an article by Msgr. Charles Pope on how modern men can model themselves after St. Joseph. 

  Approximately one year after public Masses were temporarily suspended due to the health emergency, and now that many people have had the opportunity to receive vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid), the Archbishop is inviting people who may have stayed away to return to Mass.  However, the Mass obligation is still dispensed for those who wish to do so for legitimate reasons.  Here's his letter to the faithful. 

  Recently, the U.S. Bishops issued a joint statement regarding the complicated moral problem of taking some Covid vaccines. The summary version is that all three of the Covid vaccines currently being offered have at least indirect moral problems, but that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the one with the most serious moral problems.  They are encouraging Catholics NOT to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if there is alternative available (such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines). The reason is that Johnson & Johnson is the one that most directly uses cells from aborted children in the research, development and production processes.  As you can see from the statement, their analysis is that taking the vaccines is morally acceptable (not morally obligatory), but that we should do what we reasonably can to prevent them from using immoral means to produce vaccines in the future. 

  The Archdiocese of Cincinnati (AOC) has very recently loosened up some of the Covid-related restrictions on the celebration of Holy Mass.  For instance, they will be allowing hymnals to be placed in the pews again and the use of holy waters in stoups at the entrances to churches. We are working on plans to implement these changes, but it may take a few weeks, so that you might not see them in place until after Easter. Note: There currently has been no change to the requirement to remain 6 feet apart from non-family members or to wear masks. Other protective measures are still in place (no sign of peace to be exchanged, no Precious Blood to be distributed).  The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is still currently suspended.  We will keep you informed of changes as they occur. Thanks for your patience as we continue to work through this epidemic together.

  Don't forget about the time change this weekend, so you're not late for Mass on Sunday!

  Our Holy Father Pope Francis has declared this year the Year of St. Joseph.  So we will be celebrating the solemn feast of St. Joseph next week on Friday, March 19th, in a big way. * We will having a solemn Mass for St. Joseph at St. Peter at 8:30 a.m.  * Immediately after Mass, we will be inviting parishioners to share in a St. Joseph table (Kennedy Hall, lower level).  This is a tradition to celebrate the day with treats and sweets. * Stations of the Cross will still be celebrated but will be moved early to 6:30 p.m. * That is to accommodate the Mass for the men making the consecration to St. Joseph that evening * There is an excellent FREE virtual conference on how St. Joseph can help us in our Christian life, sponsored by the National Shrine of St. Joseph.  The title is "Restore the Hope: Go to St. Joseph." It features bishops, priests, laymen and women and scholars who have dedicated themselves to helping to build a devotion to this great saint.  ...

  The Cardinal Newman Society is a lay apostolate that has been active since 1993 whose mission it is to renew Catholic education and ensure that it is faithful to the teaching of the Church.  They have written about serious potential threats to the mission of education posed by the potential passage of current federal legislation misleadingly named the Equality Act.  That dangerous legislation has been passed by the House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate.  As the CNS notes, it could seriously compromise the mission of Catholic schools and other Catholic agencies. Here's their analysis .

  The U.S. bishops together with other pro-life groups have long promoted adoption as a loving alternative to the serious evil of abortion.   In this year of St. Joseph, they are encouraging people to pray a novena beginning tomorrow and ending on his feast day of March 19th for adoptive parents and adopted children, in honor or the great saint who was truly the father on earth of Our Lord, but also can be considered a sort of  adoptive or foster father.

  A lot of young people don't go to confession because they are afraid, embarrassed or don't know what to do. This video from youth evangelist Fr. Mike Schmitz tells about the gift of confession from the perspective of a priest, emphasizing the sacrament as a place of victory and a beautiful outpouring of God's mercy.  He answers the question, "What is the priest thinking during confession?" and assures them that priests don't remember the sins of confession, just the beauty of God working within the human heart.  He makes the startling comparison that a confessor is like "God's garbage man."  (Watch for yourself :-) )  He also has a more general video on how and why to make a good confession  for people of all ages.  This video from the Catholic Youth apostolate  LifeTeen  emphasizes the fears that teenagers might face and helps overcome them.

  The Archdiocese of Cincinnati (AOC) is continuing with its regional planning initiative to address the problem of declining participation by the faithful in Catholic life and the sharply reduced number of pastors available to serve our parishes.   The title of that initiative is Beacons of Light .  Their website provides helpful information on what they are planning. 

UPDATED: 9 March 2021 More news on the vaccine front.  A new single-dose anti-Covid vaccine by Johnson & Johnson has very recently been developed and approved for use in the U.S., adding a new entry into the field of those currently being used to the existing Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. There is not widespread agreement yet on the morality of using these vaccines. Many solid Catholic scholars argue that all three are morally acceptable and the bishops as a whole have adopted this position.  However, some of the bishops are recommending not taking the Johnson and Johnson vaccine (or at least taking it only if the others aren't available) because it was developed using cells from aborted children.   Even the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are potentially problematic, because aborted children were used in the testing process.  Please study the question and then follow your conscience when deciding which vaccine to take to insure that you are not cooperating in se...