SCCR Parish Blog

  UPDATED: March 25th   See the full text of Pope Francis' beautiful prayer for the consecration of the world to the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially Russia and Ukraine.  (Given on March 25th, the solemn feast of the Annunciation). During this time of war in Ukraine and grave threat of escalation of that war, Our Holy Father Pope Francis is renewing the consecration of Russia to Our Lady. Here's the news from the Archdiocese: Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Friday, March 25.  Archbishop Schnurr has asked the faithful of our archdiocese to join him in praying a Rosary novena from March 17-25. We invite all members of our [PARISH NAME] community to join the Archbishop in this special novena.   "May the Immaculate Heart of Mary, through her powerful intercession, lead to the conversion of hearts and minds and peace throughout the world, especially at this time in Ukraine." Read the entire letter from Archbishop Sch...

  Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco has become one of the staunchest advocates for the sanctity of life in the college of bishops.  It is well worth reading his comments on a recent bill being advanced by the Democrat party in Congress to codify a so-called right to kill children in the womb into federal law (from the National Catholic Register ). He quotes Pope Francis' recent comments during a return flight from Slovakia, during which the Holy Father said    ‘Abortion is more than a problem. Abortion is homicide…. It is a human life, period. And this human life must be respected."

  Pope Francis has recently issued a decree severely restricting the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) (sometimes also called the extraordinary form of the Mass).  This is the rite of the Mass that was celebrated continuously for hundreds of years until the Mass was modified as a result of the Second Vatican Council beginning in the 1960s and 1970s.    As recently as 14 years ago, Pope Emeritus Benedict had opened the celebration of the old rite very widely to all priests and faithful who wished to celebrate the Mass in that form.   This action by the current holy father reverses most of that progress and allows bishops to severely restrict it at their discretion.   Many people who loved the TLM are disappointed in the Holy Father's decision, but it is within his authority as the Supreme Pontiff to do so. In his writings, the Holy Father indicated that he was making this decision because the celebration of the old rite was causing "d...

  Our Holy Father Pope Francis has asked Catholics around the globe to pray for vocations on Sunday, April 25th, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations . Please check out the excellent resources at the website. 

  From the 13th century onward, there has been a tradition on special occasions of the Pope issuing a special blessing and addressing the people of Rome and of the whole world.  This is usually done at Christmas and Easter, and is sometimes known by its Latin name, urbi et orbi  (to the city [of Rome] and the world). Here is the Urbi et Orbi address Pope Francis gave yesterday for Christmas Day.

Each Holy Father has the authority to declare special holy years, where the faithful around the world can focus on some special spiritual gift to the Church.  Many have been declared over the centuries.  This year, Pope Francis has declared the current year (from the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, 2020 to the same time in 2021) as the Year of St. Joseph .  The link provides information from the always-newsworthy pieces in the Catholic weekly newspaper, the National Catholic Register. Typically, the Pope also attaches some indulgences* to the year -- special opportunities for ourselves or a deceased love one to be freed from the punishment due to our sins so that the need for purification from our sins in purgatory is erased or shortened.  I'll try to say more about that soon.  I'll be working on some special activities to observe that in our parishes, especially on the Solemn Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, 2021.  Stay tuned! * Here are some more r...

  UPDATED: Oct. 30th There has been some  confusion over some recent remarks that Pope Francis made about so-called "civil unions" of homosexual couples.   Here are some notes that I hope will help to clarify the situation. * The Church's teaching is clear, unequivocal and unchangeable that homosexual acts are always gravely immoral.   * The Church's teaching is clear, unequivocal and unchangeable that entering into a same-sex (so-called) marriage can never be permissible.  Marriage, by its very nature, can only be between one man and one woman. * As a general principle, the secular media (outlets such as the Cincinnati Enquirer, National Public Radio, CNN and so on) do not get the stories correct.  Many are anti-Catholic and have an "agenda" to advance, so don't always report what the Pope says accurately or take quotes out of context.  Be very skeptical of what they report about the Church. * I recommend good Catholic media instead, such as...

The Holy Father has asked the whole world to join him in prayer from Saint Peter’s Square this Friday, March 27, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. This event will be streamed live by Vatican News .  Please watch this video from our U.S. Bishops explaining the event.        During the prayer,  the Holy Father will grant to all participants a Plenary Indulgence before imparting his Urbi et Orbi blessing.  Read more about this indulgence here . The "Urbi et Orbi" blessing means the Pope will be blessing the people of Rome and Christians around the world.  Note that it is usually required to go to Mass and confession before receiving a plenary indulgence, but under the circumstances the Pope might waive that requirement for those  who pray with him.]