.png)
Last year, our parish family celebrated two special events close to one another: May Crowning of Mary with the Feast of the Visitation on May 31st, and a Eucharistic Procession for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 11th. I wanted to let you know that we shall celebrate these two events again this year, but on different dates!
May Crowning of Mary- May 3rd at 7pm
“The queen symbol was attributed to Mary because she was a perfect follower of Christ, who is the absolute ‘crown’ of creation. She is the Mother of the Son of God, who is the messianic King. Mary is the Mother of Christ, the Word Incarnate … ‘He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there will be no end.’ Elizabeth greeted the Blessed Virgin, pregnant with Jesus, as ‘the mother of my Lord.’ Mary is the perfect follower of Christ. The maid of Nazareth consented to God’s plan; she journeyed on the pilgrimage of faith; she listened to God’s Word and kept it in her heart; she remained steadfastly in close union with her Son, all the way to the foot of the Cross; she persevered in prayer with the Church. Thus, in an eminent way, she won the ‘crown of righteousness,’ ‘the crown of life,’ ‘the crown of glory’ that is promised to those who follow Christ.”-- St. John Paul II, issuing a ritual for the Order of Crowning an Image of the Blessed Virgin Mary
We have a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration on the first Friday of the month. This will be at the start of our month of May, the month of Mary. The first Fridays are traditionally connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while the first Saturday is connected with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. With the Friday evening being sort of in-between, it seemed like a good time. We shall crown our statue of Mary on May 3rd during our Holy Hour at 7pm. Last year, we concluded the month of Mary with the crowning, whereas this year we shall begin it with a crowning.
Corpus Christi- June 2 (Procession at end of 11am Mass)
A Eucharistic Procession, just like Eucharistic Adoration, is an extension of the worship of Jesus Christ, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. The supreme act of adoration and the source and summit of the Christian life is the celebration of the Mass, and that celebration is prolonged and intensified through Eucharistic worship outside of Mass. In Eucharistic Processions, the missionary aspect of the Eucharist is emphasized as we go forth into the world. Not only gazing upon our Eucharistic Lord, but walking with him, we experience what the disciples did 2000 years ago, proclaiming the Good News to the world. A parish community that undertakes a Eucharistic Procession has made the decision to publicly proclaim its belief in Jesus’ True Presence in the Eucharist. By this public witness of faith, the parish invites people in the community to encounter the Risen Lord present in the Eucharistic Host. For those who participate in the procession, it is an opportunity not only to proclaim their faith but also to grow in their faith. The procession is, finally, an invitation to Jesus himself to be a part of our daily lives, to be immersed in the world in which we live.
Some of the children of our parish family will be receiving their first Holy Communion at the 11am Mass on June 2nd to coincide with the feast of Corpus Christi. At the end of this Mass, the Eucharist will be placed in the monstrance and a procession will form, walking around our property and parking lot, stopping to sing and pray at a few stations, and concluding with Benediction back inside the church. There will be a time of food and fellowship in our hall afterward to celebrate the occasion together.
Most holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary, united in perfect love, as you look upon us with mercy and caring, we consecrate our hearts, our lives, our family to you.
I am, in our Lord, yours.
Fr. Brian Trueman
Comments