Category: Liturgy Schedule

Let those who are devout and who truly love God, take part with joy in this beautiful and glorious feast.  
Let those who are faithful servants enter rejoicing into the joy of their Lord. 
Let those who have labored with fasting now receive their reward. 
Let those who have worked from the first hour receive today what they are owed. 
Let those who came after the third hour keep the feast with thankfulness. 
Let those who arrived at the sixth hour be also confident; 
they too will not be deprived. 
Let those who have delayed until the ninth hour advance, with no fear. 
Let those who have delayed until the eleventh hour be not afraid for their tardiness; 
for the Lord is gracious, and will accept the last even as the first. 

He gives rest to those who came at the eleventh hour, as well as to those who worked from the first hour.  
He is merciful to those who come late, and he cares for those who came at the beginning. 
He gives to the one; 
and he gives to the other also. 
He rewards the work which is done, and he recognizes the incomplete attempt. 
He honors the act and He praises the intention.

And so let all enter into the joy of our Lord.  
Let the first and the second receive their reward.  
Let rich and poor rejoice together.  
Rejoice today, those who have fasted and those who have not.  
The table is full-laden; 
let all feast richly.  
The calf is fatted; 
let no one leave hungry.  
Let all enjoy the feast of faith; 
let all receive the riches of mercy. 
Let none complain of poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let none grieve for their sins; 
for forgiveness has dawned from the tomb. 
Let none fear death; 
for the death of the Savior has freed us. 
He has destroyed death by enduring it.  
By descending into hell, He has plundered it.  
He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh.  

Isaiah prophesied this and said: Hades has been embittered by meeting Him below.
It was embittered, for it was abolished.  
It was embittered, for it was mocked.  
It was embittered, for it was slain. 
It was embittered, for it was annihilated.  
It was embittered, for it was then enchained.  
It took a body and discovered God.  
It took earth and encountered heaven.  
It took what it saw and was conquered by what it saw not.

O death, where is thy sting?  
O hell, where is thy victory?
Christ is risen, and you are made nothing. 
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. 
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.  
Christ is risen, and life reigns.
Christ is risen, and none are left dead in the tomb. 
For Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  
To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. 

Three videos to edify your spiritual journey:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We will gather this Sunday, August 25, to celebrate our Patron Saint and our parish, but why is a church family so important?

Because church is like a family reunion. The Bible says that we are brothers and sisters in Christ and part of the family of God (Ephesians 2:19; 3:14-15). As such, we gather to celebrate the Sacraments especially the Holy Communion, pray for one another, encourage one another, and help each other. We need each other’s support to live out the Christian Life and fulfill God’s Will in each of our lives.

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

^{St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews 10: 24-25}

Faithfully,
Fr. Rick

Parish Patronal Schedule

Sunday, August 25
10:00am Morning Prayer and The Holy Communion
10:00 am Children’s Sunday School
Join us for a delicious BBQ feast following the Liturgy. All are welcome.

Dear Parish Family,

Two saints this week offer to us examples of how we can impact our world and the Church for the better. St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit Order in the Roman Church, but Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises continue to affect Seminarians and the Faithful throughout the Christian world, regardless of denomination. St. Nicodemus worked behind the scenes at the Crucifixion, helping rescue the body of Our Lord and ensure He had a proper burial. (See their stories below.)

Faithfully yours,

Fr. Rick

About St. Ignatius of Loyola, Confessor

The founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, Ignatius whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat near Barcelona.

He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned. It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises. Read more →

About St. Nicodemus

St. Nicodemus was a secret disciple of Jesus. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he would meet Jesus by night so that the others would not see him with Jesus. Eventually, it was Nicodemus who reminded the Sanhedrin that Jesus had the right to a trial. Together with St. Joseph of Arimathea, he prepared Jesus’ body and placed him in the tomb.

Tradition holds that St. Nicodemus was martyred, though no record remains.