From the Pastor – November 3, 2024

The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher, you are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than He.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Mk 12:32-34)

This weekend’s Gospel contains a beautiful conversation between a scribe and Jesus about the most important things of our faith: love of God and love of neighbor. The scribe listens to Jesus and agrees that love of God and neighbor “is worth more than any burnt offering or sacrifice.” And Jesus tells the scribe: “You are not far from the reign of God.” That’s the part that’s a little troubling and should have been for the scribe. Not far? Not far? Excuse me but I don’t think that we want to be simply close to the kingdom of God! We want to be part of the kingdom of God. We want to be in the kingdom of God. Why do these commandments only get us “close” to the reign of God? Well, there’s the difference between knowing and doing.

The biggest criticism that Jesus ever gave anyone was to call him a hypocrite. The word hypocrite is from the Greek word hypokrites, which means “play actor,” “dissembler” or “coward.” Hypocrisy is the practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess.

Knowing the Gospel of Christ and Church teachings can get us close to the kingdom of God, but only living those values can get us in. Wisdom in knowing the law brings us close, but our salvation is found in following the law.

As Catholics we participate in votes that determine the future of our city, state and country. While all politicians might think they have the best ideas for how to provide for the poor, how to create jobs and how to protect our country from enemies, we have to remember that there are certain issues that are non-negotiable in the eyes of God. God gave us life; it is sacred, even in the womb. God gave us the freedom to worship Him; that freedom does not come from the government. And God gave us human sexuality that is ordered toward the unity of husband and wife and the procreation of children, not to hedonism and personal pleasure. Knowing the wisdom of God – written on our hearts – gets us close to the kingdom. But only living those values gets us in.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty
msgr.nalty@gmail.com

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Thanksgiving Baskets

The St. Vincent de Paul Society would like to request your help in providing Thanksgiving Baskets for the needy of our parish. We would appreciate monetary donations, or donations of non-perishable food items (yams, little green peas, corn, stuffing, etc) and gift cards. Please contribute to the poor box, or bring items to the box in the back of church or the rectory.

Remember to Pray for the Faithful Departed!

Traditionally, the Church dedicates each month of the year to a certain devotion. In November, we remember the Holy Souls in Purgatory – faithful Christians who have died and gone before us but who still must atone for their sins. The time they spend in Purgatory cleanses them so that they may enter Heaven free from all effects of sin.

Praying for the dead, especially for those we have known, is a requirement of Christian charity. Our own prayers and sacrifices can be offered up to relieve their suffering. The following prayer, among others, can be incorporated into our daily prayers during this month: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is also granted to the faithful who fulfill the following conditions:

  • On any and each day from November 1 to 8, devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the departed (the ‘Eternal rest grant unto them…’ suffices)
  • Offer an Our Father and Hail Mary for the Pope’s Intentions
  • Make a good confession within a week and be free from all attachment to sin
  • Receive Holy Communion that day (or ASAP following if unable that day)

Please Pray for the Faithful Departed of our Parish

First Friday Devotion

Jesus recounted the following to St. Margaret Mary, and this devotion has been recognized by the Church:
“To all those who, during nine months on end, will receive Holy Communion on the first Fridays of every month.  I promise the Grace of final perseverance. They will not die in My disgrace, but will receive the Sacraments (if necessary), and My Heart will be sure shelter for them in that extreme moment.”

The First Friday promises of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary:
1.  I will give them graces necessary for their state of life.
2.  I will establish peace in their houses.
3.  I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4.  I will be their strength during life and during death.
5.  I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall grow fervent.
8.  Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9.  I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Each First Friday at the Basilica of St. Stephen we celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass at 6:00pm as a means of providing an opportunity to obtain the First Friday promises Jesus made to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and of course you can make your First Friday at the morning Mass on Friday at 6:30am.

Religious Education

First Holy Communion classes begin on Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 9:15am in the Rectory.

Confirmation classes begin on Sunday, November 3, 2024 after the 10:30am Mass in the Rectory.

Please contact the rectory office to register so we can ensure we have sufficient teaching materials for each student.

Please contact Msgr. Nalty directly if you or someone you know is interested in coming into full communion with the Catholic Church through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults.

St. Francis of Assisi – Blessing of the Pets

October 6 at 11:45 am

Feast Day – October 4

Many of the stories that surround the life of St. Francis of Assisi deal with his love for animals. Part of his appreciation of the environment is expressed in his Canticle of the Sun, a poem written in Umbrian Italian in perhaps 1224 which expresses a love and appreciation of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Mother Earth, Brother Fire, etc. and all of God’s creations personified in their fundamental forms.  Francis’ attitude towards the natural world, while poetically expressed, was conventionally Christian. He believed that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He preached the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God’s creation and as creatures ourselves. On Sunday, October 6 all pets are invited into the courtyard between the church and the school at 11:45am, after the 10:30am Mass, for the Blessing of the Pets. Please make sure that your pets play “nice” before bringing them over!

Blessing of the Cemeteries

msgr-blessing

On All Saints Day, Friday, November 1, 2024, at noon, Msgr. Nalty will bless the Vincent de Paul Cemeteries on Soniat and Loyola Avenue (behind Newman School). The St Vincent de Paul Cemeteries are the resting places for many longtime parishioners of St. Stephen Church, as well as the Vincentian Priests and Daughters of Charity who served our parish for over 150 years.
On the same day at 12:30pm Msgr. Nalty will bless the St Joseph Cemeteries on Washington Avenue and Loyola, another place where many parishioners are buried. Many people take the occasion of the blessing as a time to beautify these resting places and pray for the souls of their faithfully departed relatives, priests, religious sisters and friends.

All Saints, All Souls and Halloween?

“Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name…” we pray every day.  “Hallow,” there’s that word we’re hearing a lot about at this time of year. And it means “holy.”  So what does “Halloween” mean, and where does it come from?

The origins of Halloween are very Christian and very American.  Although it’s true that the ancient Celts of Ireland and Britain celebrated a minor festival at this time of year which commemorated the end of summer and the beginning of the darkness of winter, that feast wasn’t on a specific day but tied to the position of the sun.  Halloween specifically falls on the last day of October because it’s the Evening before the Feast of All Saints, or “All Hallows,” which falls on November 1.  So it’s All Hallow’s Eve, contracted to Hallowe’en. [Read More…]

The North American Martyrs – October 19

The only reason we know about Jesus Christ is that someone told us. More than likely, that person was our parents, but it could have been a priest, a teacher or even a friend. And the person who told us only knew about Jesus because someone had told him or her. And someone told that person, too. And so on. We trace that chain of people passing on their knowledge of Christ back to the Apostles, who were told by Jesus to: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:19-20). This statement of Jesus is called the “Great Commission” – the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his Apostles to spread His teachings to everyone. It is an important tenet in Christian theology emphasizing mission work, evangelism, and baptism; and it is the primary basis for Christian missionary activity today.

The interesting thing about missionary activity is the danger that has surrounded it since the beginning. Out of the eleven Apostles charged with the Great Commission, only St. John died of natural causes. The rest were martyrs. From the first century to the twentieth century, this has stood true. As the theologian Tertullian observed around the year 200 A.D.: “We have become more numerous every time we are hewn down by you. The blood of Christians is the seed.” (“Semen est sanguis Christianorum”).

As I stated in a recent weekday homily, one of the problems we face in America is the lack of martyrs. Compared to many countries, we received our Christianity in America fairly easily, and sometimes when things are easily obtained, they’re not appreciated as well. Although we know we’re of the same faith as the martyrs Peter & Paul in the first century and the martyr Maximillian Kolbe in the last century, their tombs are not among us. But we can at least recognize a few, the North American Martyrs, a group of eight Jesuit missionaries who spread the Faith among the Indians of Canada in the 17th century, and paid the price with their lives.

Next weekend we celebrate “World Mission Sunday,” and on the Wednesday before we remember the North American Martyrs: Sts. John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues and their companions. These early Jesuit missionaries arrived in Quebec in 1625. Initially, their work was with the French settlers and traders and evangelizing the nearby Indians. Soon they extended their missionary efforts to the Huron nation about 800 miles west of Quebec (about 100 miles north of present-day Toronto.)

Trouble soon came from the hostile Iroquois nation to the southeast, which began ambushing the supply route between Huronia and Quebec. In 1642, Father Isaac Jogues and Rene Goupil were captured on a return trip to Sainte Marie from Quebec. Father Goupil was martyred while making the sign of the cross on a child. Father Jogues had his fingers eaten and was enslaved. Although he escaped and returned to France (where the Pope gave him special permission to say Mass without his fingers), he returned to the mission – and was subsequently martyred in 1646 (in present day New York).

The North American Martyrs were canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930. Their feast day is celebrated on October 19th in the United States. Those of us in the “developed” world would do well to remember these martyrs and the sacrifice of their blood which became the seed for the Church in our own country. And recognizing that the Gospel has not yet reached all nations, it is our obligation to support missionary activity in the “undeveloped” world.

Our Lady of the Rosary

October 7

In 1571 Pope Pius V instituted “Our Lady of Victory” as an annual feast to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, where Christian forces successfully thwarted an attempted invasion of Western Europe by the Muslim forces of the Ottaman Empire. The victory was attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as a Rosary procession had been offered on that day in St. Peter’s Square in Rome for the success of the mission of the Holy League. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this feast-day to “Feast of the Holy Rosary”. This feast was extended by Pope Clement XII to the whole of the Latin Rite, inserting it into the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1716, and assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Pope Pius X changed the date to 7 October in 1913, as part of his effort to restore celebration of the liturgy of the Sundays.

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