February 23 2025

March 4 we end this season of Ordinary Time and enter into the Season of Lent with Ash Wednesday on March 5. Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation but attending Mass on this day and receiving Ashes is a great way to begin our Lenten Season. Lent is 40 days long and reminds us of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert. On the Fridays during Lent we have the opportunity to attend the Stations of the Cross…
The Stations of the Cross: Remembrance of Jesus’ walk to Calvary—In many Catholic churches, the Stations of the Cross are divided equally along opposite walls of the nave. Others can be found in a single line along one wall. In our church, the Stations begin at the entry to the church in line with the baptismal font. The significance of beginning our walk with Jesus at the font brings us back to our Baptism (our entry into the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus). The first gesture in the baptismal rite is the signing of the individual to be baptized with the cross. We are reminded that we must accept our cross before we can enter into the waters of eternal life. As we walk the Stations from the baptismal font, we find ourselves on our way to the sanctuary, the place of the Eucharistic banquet, the heavenly. Through the Stations we learn to die to ourselves so that we may enter into communion with Jesus. Through the Stations we enter more fully into the passion and death of the Lord and our homeward journey. The Stations of the Cross are also known as the Way of the Cross. As we walk, we find our Way, always with Jesus. (The Stations of the Cross originated early in the history of the Church. It was the custom of the faithful to follow the way walked by Jesus from Pilate’s house in Jerusalem to Calvary. As time went on, pilgrims to the holy city desired to continue this devotion when they returned home. In the 14th century when the Franciscans were entrusted with the care of the holy places in Jerusalem they promoted the use of images depicting the Lord’s Way of the Cross.) Gay

February 16 2025

Canonization is an infallible (incapable of making mistakes or being wrong) declaration by the pope that a person is now in heaven and is worthy of honor and imitation by all the faithful. This person may have died as a martyr and /or practiced Christian virtue to a heroic degree. To be declared a saint, canonized, is the final step in the process which includes beatification and detailed investigation. The investigation concerns the person’s reputation for holiness, writings, and (except in the case of martyrs) a miracle ascribed to his or her intercession after death. A saint is worthy of honor in liturgical worship throughout the universal Church. From her earliest years the Church has venerated saints. The earliest documented canonization by a pope was Saint Ulrich (Uldaric) of Augsburg by Pope John XV in 993. In 1171 Alexander III made the process of canonization exclusive to the Holy See (the Vatican). In 1588 Pope Sixtus V established the Sacred Congregation of Rites for the principal purpose of handling causes for beatification and canonization: this function is now the work of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The official listing of saints (canonized) and blessed (beatified) is contained in the Roman Martyrology. The Church regards all persons in heaven as saints, not just those who have been officially canonized. Gay Snell

February 9 2025

What is a patron saint? A patron saint is a saint chosen as a special advocate with God. This saint receives a special honor by a place, association, or person, in accordance with Catholic teaching that angels and saints have special spheres of activity. To become a patron of a place, association or person, a particular saint must be approved by the Holy See (Vatican) and must be a canonized saint. It takes a special indult for an individual who is beatified but not canonized to be chosen as a patron. Trades and professions, states of life, diseases, and places in old Christian countries also have their patrons, usually by ancient or local tradition. It is common for an individual to take as patron the saint whose name is assumed at Confirmation, putting that individual under the saint’s protection, studying his or her life and attempting to profit by the saint’s example. The patron saint of a church gives his or her name to the church and is technically called its titular, such as Saint Clement being the patron of our parish as well as for whom the church is named. The selection of patrons was first recognized by Pope Urban VIII in 1630. He declared that the individual must be among the canonized, must be chosen by the clergy and people with the approval of the bishop, and that the choice must be confirmed by the Sacred Congregation of Rites. These regulations were included in the 1917 Code of Canon Law and their general ideas have remained. New regulations were issued in March 1973 and now confirmation is required from the Congregation of Divine Worship. Some patrons: Saint Charles Borromeo—Catechists and seminarians; Saint Christopher—accidents, gardeners, sailors, storms, travelers; Saint Clement I—marble workers, stonecutters (patron of our parish); Saint Francis of Assisi—Catholic Action, ecologists, Italy, merchants (patron of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe); Isidore—farmers, laborers; Saint Jude Thaddeus—desperate situations, hospital workers, hospitals; Our Lady of Guadalupe—Mexico, the Americas; Saint Peregrine—cancer; …just to name a few perhaps more familiar saints…
Gay Snell

February 2 2025

2025 has been declared a Jubilee Year by Pope Francis and is derived from a reference to a “jubilee” year in Leviticus 25:8-55 Leviticus says it is every “fiftieth year” and was a special year of remission from guilt and sin and the return of lands to their original owners. The Catholic Church uses this term to refer to a “holy year” every twenty-fifth year. It is also used in reference to an extraordinary year of jubilee declared by the Holy Father. When a jubilee year is called and centered in Rome, the right inside door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which is usually bricked closed, lies open, allowing for pilgrims to walk through and be the recipients of the graces of the jubilee year.
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. It is the day that Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple according to the prescriptions of Mosaic Law (see Leviticus 12:2-8, Exodus 13:2, Luke 2:22-32) as well as the purification of Mary 40 days after his birth. During the 7th century, it ranked after the Assumption as the foremost Marian feast and was called the Purification of Mary. Its orientation today is more in line with Christology. The feast is also called Candlemas, from the practice of blessing candles and carrying them in procession on this day, a custom that began around the 11th century. Candles have been a prominent feature of celebrations within the Church. They have been used from classical time in worship and in the rites paid to the dead. If candles are blessed, they become sacramentals. The Church, from a very early period, took then into her service to enhance the splendor of religious ceremonials. Today the Paschal Candle, Easter Candle, continues to represent Jesus as the true light, and the smaller candles (specifically at the Easter Vigil, as well as at baptisms) held by members of the congregation symbolize our striving to be “the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).
Have a good week in the Lord, Gay Snell