Saint John Chrysostom asks:  "Are you willing to learn more about just how awesome and holy the Mass truly is?  Do you remember the story of Elijah confronting the false priests of the pagan gods?  Imagine the scene as Elijah is standing high up on Mount Carmel.  He's rebuilt an old stone altar to God and placed a sacrifice on it.  The tired and sweaty false priests have given up their efforts to make a miracle.  A large crowd of people stands in silence, waiting to see what will happen when Elijah prays.  Then, suddenly, fire rushes from nowhere - from Heaven - down upon the sacrifice.  Awesome.  Amazing.  Terrifying.  But the Mass you attend this week is greater than this:  marvelous, frightening.  Your priest does not pray for fire; he prays for Grace!  Your priest does not bring down fire; he brings down the Holy Spirit!  Who can be bored at Mass, unless he is blind to the truth or stark mad?"  

Read it for yourself here:  On the Priesthood, Book 3 . 
If you don't remember the story of Elijah, read the First Book of Kings, Chapter 18.

Some recent improvements that you might notice:

Photo Albums has been moved to the Parish Life drop down menu.
Altar Servers has been moved to the Sacraments & Devotions drop down menu.
Fathers of the Church has been moved to the Catholic Faith drop down menu.
Catholic News has been given its own page in the Parish Life drop down menu.
St. Leonard's comments on the Mass have their own page under Sacraments & Devotions.

If you have questions or comments about the website, please let us know by emailing:  webdev@stpatstolono.org. 

On May 18, we'll celebrate the Feast of Pope Saint John I, Martyr. 

He lived around 1,500 years ago.  When he became the Bishop of Rome, the old Roman Empire was split into two parts:  East and West.  Rome was in the West, which was ruled by Theodoric, one of the non-Roman invaders.  And Theodoric wasn't Catholic.  He and his followers insisted that Jesus was not God.  They thought of him as something like Superman - he was more than a man, he was the greatest of creation, but he wasn't God.  People holding these non-Catholic beliefs were called Arians.  The East was ruled by a Catholic Emperor, Justin, who tried to make Arians into Catholics.  

Angered by Emperor Justin, King Theodoric demanded that Pope John I travel to the East and threaten Emperor Justin that King Theodoric would destroy Catholic churches in Italy unless Emperor Justin stopped harassing Arians.  Pope John I made the trip, but he would not ask the Catholic Emperor to support a heresy.  The Pope chose to be true to the Catholic faith, despite the pressure of the man who controlled his homeland.  The people in the East greated the Catholic Pope with honors and had him celebrate Easter Mass in the greatest Eastern church:  Hagia Sophia. 

When Pope John I returned to Italy, King Theodoric imprisoned him for failing to do what the King wanted.  Pope John I died from mistreatment in the prison. 

Persecution of our Bishops didn't end with the Romans, though.  Even today we read about the imprsonment of Bishops for remaining faithful to the Catholic Faith.  Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin was arrested just last month, in China, and threatened for his ties to Rome.  Pray for Bishop Shao and all of our Bishops.



(BTW:  Pope Gregory the Great wrote down a vision that a hermit had when King Theodoric died.  He saw the King as a prisoner being led by Pope Saint John I to the mouth of a volcano, which was considered by many to be one of the gates to hell. )

Much of this information can be found in The Trinity:  An Analysis of St. Thomas Aquinas' Expositio of the De Trinitate of Boethius.

The "Year of Faith" announced by Pope Benedict will begin on October 11, 2012.  It will run through November 24, 2013.  The year is a time of "particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith." 

The first day of the Year of Faith, October 11, 2012, is the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.  This isn't the first time a Year of Faith has been announced; some may remember the Year of Faith in 1967, announced by Pope Paul VI.  October 11 will also be the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which was published on the 30th anniversary of Vatican II.)

On the level of our parish, we are asked to:

1.  Read Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei.
2.  Pariticpate in the Eucharist "actively, fruitfully and with awareness."
3.  Rediscovery and deepen knowledge of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
4.  Renew the gift of faith by communicating our own personal faith and charity to our brothers and sisters, whether they are lapsed Catholics, non Catholic Christians, people of other faiths, or people indifferent to faith.

 

If you are celebrating 25 or 50 years of marriage in 2012, notify the parish office.  Each couple will receive a personal invitation from the Bishop to attend a Mass on September 16 at 3:30 p.m. in your honor. 

I will Build My church…Come Follow Me!
Thanks for your generosity during the Annual Diocesan Appeal weekend.  Our parish is blessed with people who give generously of their time, talent and treasure; we have responded well to the call of stewardship. 

Our goal for the ADA is $20,958 with 81 parishioners pledging/donating to date for a total of $16,625.      

No gift is too small, and our parish is trying to reach 100% participation.  If you have not yet made a gift to the ADA, we invite you to do so today.  There are envelopes in the vestibule.  Every dollar raised to make our goal supports important diocesan services.    Please give generously, as God has given you. 

for the Freedom of the Catholic Church in America:

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle. 
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. 
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host-
By the Divine Power of God-
Cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
Who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen. 

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Read our bulletin online: St. Patrick Bulletin

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Saturday, May 19th
4:00 pm Confessions
5:00 pm

Sunday, May 20th
7:00 am
9:30 am

Monday, May 21st 
8:00 am

Tuesday, May 22nd 
5:30 pm

Wednesday, May 23rd
8:00 am

Thursday, May 24th
5:30 pm
6:00 pm Confessions

Friday, May 25th 
8:00 am

Saturday, May 26th
4:00 pm Confessions
5:00 pm

Sunday, May 27th 
7:00 am
9:30 am

(To see this week's Mass Intentions and the Liturgical Calendar, click on "Mass Intentions" under the dropdown menu heading "Sacraments and Devotions" at the top of this page.)