Parish News - Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish

January 4th - Weekly Newsletter

1/5/2023

Novena for Pope Emeritus Benedict, "Did you know?" Epiphany Door Blessing, and more ...

In the past God spoke to our ancestors
through the prophets:
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.

Dear Friends,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And Happy Wednesday to you all out there in internet land ... are you still writing 2022 on your checks?!

Novena in Memory of Pope Emeritus Benedict - The Church has asked us to pray a Nine (9) Day Novena in Memory of the former Pontiff, see below for more information.

MASKS are still OPTIONAL, BUT ... With Covid and the Flu on the rise, please use your best judgement when it comes to your own safety and the safety of others, and do not come to church if you are feeling ill. As always, be kind and respectful to one another if the person choses or not to wear a mask. Remember, we're all in this together!

Being Catholic - Did you know?! - Many of us grew up attending Catholic School, or CCD classes, etc ..., and knew "about" things, but we didn't really remember what they're called or knew the meaning behind a word/phrase. In this weekly newsletter, we will feature a "Did you know?!" It will sometimes be a word, or a place, or an object related to our Catholic Faith. So, did you know ... ?

BCAP Food Pantry - The Parish Food Pantry, located at SJB, has been RESTOCKED and ready to distribute food to those in need. Please spread the word ... you do NOT have be a parishioner to receive food.

Parish Forms on the Website - https://www.carloacutisparish.org/parish-forms.html Did you know that many of our forms and requests are on our website? Inquiring about a Baptism ... Need a copy of your Baptismal Certificate ... Want to schedule your wedding? It's all on our website! Simply fill out the form and we'll get back to ya.

Mass Intentions - All parishioners and friends are invited to request Mass intentions for those who have died, for loved ones on their birthdays or anniversaries, or for any other occasion or concern. As the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most powerful prayer of the Church, this is a very effective way to honor the living or pray for the dead. The suggested donation for these Masses is $10 per Mass. In order to ensure availability of your preferred day and time, please submit an electronic request on our website, or call the Parish Office at least two weeks in advance.

Prayers for the Sick - Both in the Sunday Bulletin, and here in the Weekly Newsletter, we list the names of those who are in sick and in need of our prayers. If you would like to add you someone's name to the sick list, please email the Parish Office. Please also email us when it's ok to remove them from the sick list. This helps to ensure our list is up to date.

We hope to see you at one of the Masses this weekend, wear a mask or not, and don't forget to bring a friend or two!!

God Bless, see you in Church!
Michael White, Director of Music and Liturgy AND Weekly Newsletter Editor

Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish Mission Statement

We are a multicultural, intergenerational Catholic parish community of people who through the help of the Eucharist, are on the journey to learning about, celebrating, serving and proclaiming our faith in the Risen Jesus.

Vision Statement

Our vision is transforming spirits, hearts and minds.

Core Values

We are welcoming, learning, believing, serving, celebrating,
understanding, sharing, diverse, community and focused on quality.

Goals

1). To have vibrant, welcoming liturgies.
2). To be an evangelizing community.
3). To reach out to youth.
4). To provide social justice education and outreach to the poor.

Your input is welcome.
Please send suggestions to Father Paul Sims, C.R. at [email protected].

Photo Credit

Novena in Memory of Pope Benedict XVI

The entire Church mourns the death of our Emeritus Holy Father, Benedict XVI. In cathedrals, basilicas, parish churches, shrines, and chapels the Holy Eucharist will be offered for the repose of his soul. Communities and individuals will ask God to bestow his infinite mercy on the man who served the Church as Bishop of Rome.

This novena has been prepared to help pray for the Pope Emeritus during this time. The daily novena – lasting from his funeral on Thursday, January 5 through Friday, January 13 – consists of a short reading from Scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and some brief prayers, including orations drawn from the Roman Missal and the Order of Christian Funerals.

NOVENA in ENGLISH

Novena en Memoria del Papa Benedicto XVI

Toda la Iglesia lamenta la muerte de nuestro Santo Padre emérito, Benedicto XVI. En catedrales, basílicas, iglesias parroquiales, santuarios y capillas se ofrecerá la Sagrada Eucaristía para el descanso de su alma. Las comunidades y los individuos pedirán a Dios que conceda su infinita misericordia al hombre que sirvió a la Iglesia como Obispo de Roma.

Esta novena ha sido preparada para ayudar a orar por el Papa emérito durante este tiempo de duelo. La novena diaria –que dura desde su funeral del jueves 5 de enero hasta el viernes 13 de enero– consiste en una breve lectura de las Escrituras o algún otro texto eclesiástico y algunas oraciones breves, incluyendo las oraciones extraídas del Misal Romano y del Ritual de exequias cristianas.

NOVENA en ESPAÑOL

Being Catholic - Did you Know?!
Epiphany Blessing of Homes

One popular religious tradition since the Middle Ages has been associated with the feast of the Epiphany: the blessing of homes with holy water and incense. The ritual calls for a priest or parent to mark, with blessed chalk, the inside of the main door with the initials of the Magi and a code of the current year connected with crosses: 20+C+M+B+23. Another explanation of the initials (C-M-B) is that they are the first letters of the blessing: "Cristus mansionem benedicat" (May Christ bless this house".)

Catholic Customs & Traditions - Greg Dues

Saint of the Day for January 4

(August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821)

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Story

Mother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children.

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a true daughter of the American Revolution, born August 28, 1774, just two years before the Declaration of Independence. By birth and marriage, she was linked to the first families of New York and enjoyed the fruits of high society. Reared a staunch Episcopalian, she learned the value of prayer, Scripture and a nightly examination of conscience. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, did not have much use for churches but was a great humanitarian, teaching his daughter to love and serve others.

The early deaths of her mother in 1777 and her baby sister in 1778 gave Elizabeth a feel for eternity and the temporariness of the pilgrim life on earth. Far from being brooding and sullen, she faced each new “holocaust,” as she put it, with hopeful cheerfulness.

At 19, Elizabeth was the belle of New York and married a handsome, wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton. They had five children before his business failed and he died of tuberculosis. At 30, Elizabeth was widowed and penniless, with five small children to support.

While in Italy with her dying husband, Elizabeth witnessed Catholicity in action through family friends. Three basic points led her to become a Catholic: belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ. Many of her family and friends rejected her when she became a Catholic in March 1805.

To support her children, she opened a school in Baltimore. From the beginning, her group followed the lines of a religious community, which was officially founded in 1809.

The thousand or more letters of Mother Seton reveal the development of her spiritual life from ordinary goodness to heroic sanctity. She suffered great trials of sickness, misunderstanding, the death of loved ones (her husband and two young daughters) and the heartache of a wayward son. She died January 4, 1821, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Reflection

Elizabeth Ann Seton had no extraordinary gifts. She was not a mystic or stigmatic. She did not prophesy or speak in tongues. She had two great devotions: abandonment to the will of God and an ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote to a friend, Julia Scott, that she would prefer to exchange the world for a “cave or a desert.” “But God has given me a great deal to do, and I have always and hope always to prefer his will to every wish of my own.” Her brand of sanctity is open to everyone if we love God and do his will.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is a Patron Saint of:

Catholic Schools
Educators/Teachers
Loss of Parents
Widows

~ Franciscan Media

“The biggest gift that God made to men was to send his only Son, Jesus Christ... It
is very important to pray that Jesus Christ be loved and known by all peoples
throughout the world.”

Pope Francis is cautioning people not to get accustomed to the war in Ukraine, and is calling for the faithful to keep those suffering "this tragic reality" in our hearts and prayers. "The thought of the people of Ukraine, afflicted by war, should remain vivid in our hearts." Please continue to pray for them.

Online Book of Intentions

Praying for each other's intentions is an important part of our parish life. If you would like the parish to pray for your intention, please write the intention in a sentence or two in this Online "Book of Intentions." These intentions will be remembered in our intercessions at our Sunday masses. Click HERE

Please pray for the Sick of our Parish

Fr. Paul Reicher, Martha Ibarra, Natividad Galeana, Doreen Maneely, Anna Mann, Nicole Vilches, Karel O’Brien,Angela Rivera, Mary Anne Sedey, Linda Klickmann, Barbara Durbin, Danny Olivero, Junior Burgos, Dolores Kryszak, Joseph Price, Teresa Ellison, Grace Gauss, Tallulah Andresen, Robert Bauer, Antionette Krerowicz, Ana Flores, Apolonio Alarcon, Antonio de Vera, Patricio A. Yanez Guerra, Manglio Bonilla Gail, Jason & Family, Basilisa M. De Guzman, Daniel Brady, Cyndi De Lira, Carolyn S. Duckunue, Transito Alvarez, Frances Alequin, Alejandro Carmona, Sophie Hernan, Eleanor Jura, Monika Kloniecka, Joseph Wyse, Verena Tonnesen, Berenice Sosnowski, Nick Jurado, Jackie Schuman, Terry Brady, Salomea Olszewska, Hertha Runowski, Angie Schuman, John Graff, Joseph Murphy, Linda Riske, Margaret Flisiak, Jazzmyne Aguilar, Hailey Marose, Sarah Ellison, Nancy Idaszak, Sally Cox, Daniel Salas, Eleanor Rylko, Nancy, Brian, Jimmy Denges, & Crystal Mohetano.