Click the image above to launch the video of the January 25th Ordination of Fr. Justin Fletcher and Fr. Philip Mayer to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ through the imposition of Hands and the Invocation of the Holy Spirit by Most Reverend Steven J. Lopes at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, TX. Ad multos annos!
New Gradual Brings ‘Prayer Book English’ to the Mass
Photo: Fr Carl Reid
BLOGS | JAN. 23, 2019
New Gradual Brings ‘Prayer Book English’ to the Mass
Catholic parishes that celebrate Masses in the Ordinary Form can boost their experience of sacral English or congregational chant with the Ordinariate’s new St. Peter Gradual from Newman House Press.
by Peter Jesserer Smith
In 2009, Benedict XVI declared the Anglican patrimony was a “treasure to be shared” throughout the Universal Church and set up three ordinariates (akin to dioceses) directly under the pope himself, to provide a permanent home for this reunited English and Catholic liturgy and tradition in the Latin Church. Ten years later, Benedict XVI’s vision in Anglicanorum Coetibus that the ordinariate would provide a further source of enrichment for Catholic worship in English continues to advance with the publication of The St. Peter Gradual by Fr. Peter Stravinskas’s Newman House Press.
The St. Peter Gradual contains the minor propers for all Sundays, Solemnities, and Feasts of the Lord in modern musical notation. These chants are certain biblical verses that are prayed at different points of the Mass, such as the Introit (Entrance), Gradual (Psalm), Alleluia (or Tract in Lent), Offertory and the Communion, when using Divine Worship: The Missal. But the gradual can also enrich parishes that celebrate the ordinary form of the Roman rite and would welcome either more sacral English in the celebration of the Mass or plainchant settings that their congregations can sing without needing extensive musical training.
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RSVP for Wednesday School: 6 February 2019
Joining us for Wednesday School on February 6th? Please RSVP using the form below so that we may adequately prepare. Thanks!
Corpus Christi Updates: 3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Click the image for updates from Corpus Christi Catholic Community for this week.
Letter from Fr. Allen - January 24, 2019
+JMJ+
Dear Friends,
My family and I have taken a quick vacation to Florida to visit my family and the Mouse. Please join me in continuing to pray for the Johnson family (see below) as they anticipate the birth of their girls at any time. Also, we have several federal employees in our community - please do pray for them as this government shutdown stretches on, paychecks stop arriving, and stress and anxiety build. Pray also for our government leaders, "that they may be led to wise decisions and right actions," and "right soon" at that. See you Sunday!
God bless you,
Fr Allen
[Editor’s note: Read more about the Johnson family, including recent updates, on Caring Bridge. You may help provide meals for them while they are in Charleston, signing up via Meal Train for the Johnson Family, and they are accepting monetary donations to help cover their expenses via their Go Fund Me page. Thank you for your generosity.]
RSVP for Wednesday School: 30 January 2019
Reminder: There is a meeting for parents of children anticipating First Communion or Confirmation during Wednesday School on 30 January.
Joining us for Wednesday School on January 30th? Please RSVP using the form below so that we may adequately prepare. Thanks!
Corpus Christi Updates: 2nd Sunday after Epiphany
image: The Wedding Feast at Cana, Paolo Veronese, 1563
Click the image for updates from Corpus Christi Catholic Community for this week.
Letter from Fr. Allen - January 18, 2019
+JMJ+
Dear Friends,
In the Gospel for this Sunday we hear again the account of our Lord's "first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee," when he turned water into finest wine. It's instructive that the Lord revealed himself, "manifested his glory," in context of a celebration, and that he did so precisely by augmenting the joy of that celebration, with the result that "his disciples believed in him."
There is, of course, a proper and necessary place for mourning and penitence in the Christian life, and, sure enough, Ash Wednesday and Lent will soon be upon us. But Lent leads to Easter. The dominant note, even in our penitence, is joy.
The faith of the Apostles, the apostolic faith, was born in joy and is transmitted in joy and for the sake of joy. And joy, and with it celebration, should be the measure of our own faith and of our community’s health and life.
Hillaire Belloc, an Anglo-French writer and historian and devout Catholic of the early part of the 20th century, summed it up well in a famous little poem:
Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!
God bless you,
Fr Allen
Unique from Day One: Pro-Life Is Pro-Science
Unique from Day One: Pro-Life Is Pro-Science
January 17, 2019
by Ana Maria Dumitru
The March for Life is the largest pro-life event in the world. The theme for this year’s march is “Unique from Day One: Pro-Life is Pro-Science.” When I heard about the theme, my immediate thought was it’s about time.
Given the events of the past few years, including other public demonstrations like the March For Science and the Women’s March, there could never have been a better moment to point out the obvious: being pro-life is both pro-science and pro-woman. It is remarkable how much of the science gets lost amid the strong emotions evoked by the abortion debate. The main dividing line between pro-life and pro-choice is not which side cares more about women, families, and their basic freedoms. Rather, the main difference is how each group applies the scientific facts to determine what constitutes women’s rights.
The scientific question of when the life of a human being begins is often lost or confused with the philosophical and legal questions of what constitutes a human person and which human persons deserve equal protection under the law.
Based on the biological definition of life at the cellular level, science unequivocally affirms that a newly fertilized human embryo is a living organism.
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
22 January
From USCCB:
The over 56 million abortions since the 1973 decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton reflect with heartbreaking magnitude what Pope Francis means by a “throwaway culture.” However, we have great trust in God’s providence. We are reminded time and again in Scripture to seek the Lord’s help, and as people of faith, we believe that our prayers are heard.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), no. 373, designates January 22 as a particular day of prayer and penance, called the "Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children”: “In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.”
As individuals, we are called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms. Another way to take part is through participating in special events to observe the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
O GOD our Creator, we give thanks to thee, who alone hast the power to impart the breath of life as thou dost form each of us in our mother's womb: grant, we pray; that we, whom thou hast made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.