Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
DEC. 12 AT 6:00 PM-
This was the first time in recent years in which we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the evening. In past years we celebrated an early morning Mass, which included the Mananitas (Mexican songs), beginning at 5:00 am, but this year’s celebration took place on a Friday night and the church was full. 
Along with the Mananitas, there was a special blessing for the numerous images and statues that occupied the foot of the altar, and then Mass concluded with the beginning of traditional Mexican dance that made its way from the church to the parking lot, where the dance continued for about 30 minutes.
After the dance, parishioners enjoyed fellowship and food in the Parish Hall. of Guadalupe, pray for us!
Questions and Answers about Lent & Lenten Practices
Taken from USCCB website: http://www.usccb.org
Q. Why do we say that there are forty days of Lent? When you count all the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, there are 46.
A. It might be more accurate to say that there is the “forty day fast within Lent.” Historically, Lent has varied from a week to three weeks to the present configuration of 46 days. The forty day fast, however, has been more stable. The Sundays of Lent are certainly part of the Time of Lent, but they are not prescribed days of fast and abstinence.
Q. So does that mean that when we give something up for Lent, such as candy, we can have it on Sundays?
A. Apart from the prescribed days of fast and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the days of abstinence every Friday of Lent, Catholics have traditionally chosen additional penitential practices for the whole Time of Lent. These practices are disciplinary in nature and often more effective if they are continuous, i.e., kept on Sundays as well. That being said, such practices are not regulated by the Church, but by individual conscience.
Q. I understand that all the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat, but I’m not sure what is classified as meat. Does meat include chicken and dairy products?
A. Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs — all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are technically not forbidden. However, moral theologians have traditionally taught that we should abstain from all animal-derived products (except foods such as gelatin, butter, cheese and eggs, which do not have any meat taste). Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted.
Q. I’ve noticed that restaurants and grocery stores advertise specials on expensive types of fish and seafood on Fridays during Lent. Some of my Catholic friends take advantage of these deals, but somehow I don’t feel right treating myself to the lobster special on Fridays during Lent.
A. While fish, lobster and other shellfish are not considered meat and can be consumed on days of abstinence, indulging in the lavish buffet at your favorite seafood place sort of misses the point. Abstaining from meat and other indulgences during Lent is a penitential practice. On the Fridays of Lent, we remember the sacrifice of Christ on Good Friday and unite ourselves with that sacrifice through abstinence and prayer.
Q. I understand that Catholics ages 18 to 59 should fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, but what exactly are the rules for these fasts?
A. Fasting on these days means we can have only one full, meatless meal. Some food can be taken at the other regular meal times if necessary, but combined they should be less than a full meal. Liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals.
Q. Are there exemptions other than for age from the requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?
A. Those that are excused from fast and abstinence outside the age limits include the physically or mentally ill including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant or nursing women. In all cases, common sense should prevail, and ill persons should not further jeopardize their health by fasting.
Easter Egg Hunt
We will have our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Morning at 11:00am between the Easter Masses.
33 Days to Merciful Love Retreat
Our Parish Feast Day this year is October 2. We plan to have one tri-lingual Mass to enable us celebrate together and be together. To help us feast well with our saint, Thérèse, we would like to drink first from her spiritual tradition.
As part of help to celebrating the Year of Mercy, Fr. Michael Gaitley wrote a retreat book, 33 Days to Merciful Love. This is indeed a retreat, but of a different kind. Instead of three days, it is thirty-three days. It is also of a different kind because it is “A Do-It-Yourself Retreat. It is promoted by the congregation of Marians of Immaculate Conception (MIC) to which Fr. Michael belongs. They have a series of programs of evangelization for parishes under the umbrella name, HAPP (Hearts Afire Parish-based Programs).
The more striking thing about 33 Days to Merciful Love Retreat is that it is built on the spirituality of our own St. Thérèse of Lisieux. It is a four-week retreat program that involves reading about two pages of Fr. Michael’s reflections on one of the themes from St. Thérèse. Each week has one theme that is subdivided into smaller themes for each day of the week. As a parish-based retreat, it consists of each parishioner reading the daily texts for each week, pondering the message and coming together some day within the week with everyone for sharing and summary. The beginning days of the retreat are chosen based on feast days.
To enable us conclude on October 2, we start today, August 28. We will be meeting every Thursday night at 7:00PM for our sharing and summary. Beginning Thursday next week, there will be a DVD from Fr. Michael to facilitate our meeting. You are encouraged to take a copy of the book today to begin the retreat with everyone else. A voluntary donation of $10, more or less, is suggested for the book. Let us all pray for one another for a very successful retreat. God bless us all.
Fr. Paulinus
Please note: We will now meet on Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM starting Sunday, September 11, 2016.
Choir
Please join us every Thursday evening at 5:00pm in the Church to help us make a joyful noise unto the Lord!
Candelaria y Comida
Vamos a celebrar la Candelaria el Domingo, 7 de Febrero a las 12:15 pm. Tendremos una bendición para las velas, así que traiga cualquier velas que le gustaría tener la bendición de la misa. Después de la misa, tendremos la comida en el Salón Parroquial. Todos son bienvenidos.
Blessing of the Windows and Parish Picnic
There will be a blessing of the restored windows on Sunday, May 1, 2016, following the May Crowning. We will also have a Parish Picnic following the Blessing around 11:00 AM. The picnic is Potluck, so bring your favorite dish to share.
