July 6, 2025

We are now in Ordinary Time.  The color for this season is green.  It is during this time that we enter more deeply into the life of Jesus.  It is also summer and vacation time…Masstimes.org is a good place to go for Catholic churches and Mass times as we travel… While traveling look for churches that are also Jubilee Year sites. 

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith You have given us in your Son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of Your Kingdom.

May our grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of evil vanquished, Your glory will shrine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of Heaven.  May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. 

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise forever. Amen 

We are called in this Jubilee Year to enter more deeply into prayer and acts of charity, finding ways to dedicate this year in a special way to the Lord.  If you go to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe website, https://www.archdiosf.org/2025jubilee you will find which parishes within the diocese are 2025 Pilgrimage Sites.  Gay Snell

July 13, 2025

Liturgy is how we worship.  It is the public worship of the Church including the rites and ceremonies of Holy Mass and the Sacraments.  It is how we, the faithful, express our worship of God.  We are called to actively participate in liturgy.  The clergy, those ordained, are deacons, priests, and bishops.  The lay are all of the rest of the faithful.  Liturgical ministers fall into 2 categories as well—the ordained or ordinary ministers and the non-ordained or extraordinary ministers—the assembly or lay persons.  Liturgical ministers are lay persons who assist at liturgy.  These ministries include: Altar Servers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Music Ministers, and Ushers/Greeters.  In the coming weeks we will look at each ministry, hopefully inspiring more people to come forward and participate in one of these ministries.  Today let’s look at the Ministry of Altar Server.  An Altar Server assists at liturgy, especially at Holy Mass.  Since he/she assists in the sanctuary-at the Altar-it is required that an Altar Server be baptized and have received his/her First Holy Communion.  Also he/she is expected to receive Holy Communion, thus being in a State of Grace—not having committed a grave sin and not having gone to Reconciliation for that or other sins.  Altar Servers have a number of tasks during Holy Mass and thus are required to attend training.  In the training, the prospective server is taught what needs to be readied for Holy Mass, what needs to be done during Mass, as well as how and when to ring the bells., and how to put things away after Mass.  There is also special training for those who wish to handle the incense.  Altar Servers also assist with Stations of the Cross and Processions or any other liturgical celebrations as needed.  More next week.  Gay Snell

July 20, 2025

Have you noticed that the church has 3 steps leading into the Sanctuary?  Do you wonder why 3 steps?  A friend brought an article about the 3 steps to my attention and so I share…

The 3 steps preach, teach, and reveal something heavenly.  First they represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—The Trinity carved into the floor.  Every time a priest climbs these steps, he’s ascending in the name of the Most Holy Trinity—the same God who is made present on the Altar.  Step One: God the Father, source of all.  Step Two:  God the Son, Word made flesh.  Step Three:  God the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies.  The Sanctuary is not just a stage.  It’s a meeting place between Heaven and Earth.  The three steps are the path into that divine mystery.  Secondly, holiness requires ascent—a going up.  God told Moses: “Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” (Ex 3:5)  In Scripture, we never descend into God’s presence, we ascend.  The three steps remind us: You don’t casually stroll into sacred space… you climb, you prepare, you rise.  These steps symbolize our soul leaving behind the ordinary and moving toward the sacred.  And thirdly, they symbolize the three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity. Every priest, deacon, altar server, or lay minister who ascends those steps is also making a spiritual climb: Faith—I believe God is here; Hope—I trust in His mercy; Charity—I come in love, ready to give.  Even if no one says a word, those steps are preaching: “Come up higher.  Draw near to God.”    Priests ascend, not for position, but for sacrifice.  The steps whisper to every soul: “This place is not for performance, it’s for offering.” The steps carry sacred meaning…in the Catholic Faith even the floor of the church teaches, even the architecture tells the Gospel.  (#catholicsonlineclass)

Gay Snell

July 27, 2025

Liturgical ministers are those ministers who assist at Holy Mass or other liturgical celebrations.  A liturgical minister is more than a volunteer; they are trained individuals who have specific a role in liturgical celebrations.   Today let’s look at the Ministry of Lector.  Lectors are lay persons (members of the faithful who are not ordained) who proclaim the First and Second Readings at Holy Mass, as well as the Responsorial Psalm in the absence of a Cantor and/or choir.  They are more than a reader; they are a proclaimer of the Word of God (from Sacred Scripture).  As such, they are required to attend training to learn where the Lectionary is kept, how to find the Readings for that day, what to do while in the Sanctuary, and the importance of being prepared and proclaiming well.  Because their ministry takes place in the Sanctuary, a Lector must be baptized, received First Holy Communion, and be in a State of Grace to receive Holy Communion at the Mass at which he/she proclaims.  Lectors as well as Altar Servers are members of the procession from the Baptismal Font to the Sanctuary at the beginning of Holy Mass.  They do not, however, process out with the priest, deacon and Altar Servers.  Once they have proclaimed the Word from the Ambo, Lectors return to their places in the assembly.  Notice that when the Lectors and Cantor leave the Sanctuary, they bow to the Altar.  In doing so, they are preparing the assembly for the transition from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.   Gay Snell