Posted on Jul 04 2010 by Deacon Gary Hoover

The month of July we celebrate a great national holiday, the day of Independence. There are lots of picnics and parties with family and friends, people are enjoying their pools and barbeques as well. But just think how all these things come together, what would a celebration be without someone organizing the activities, setting up games to be played and food to eat?

The Gospel readings in July are the same way. On July 4th we will hear the harvest is great but the laborers are few, then a couple of weeks later we hear of Mary and Martha preparing for Jesus in their own special way. Each of us have unique gifts, different talents that when we come together, whatever the occasion, things seem to go well.

Our parish works the same way. We need our priests to lead and organize, to celebrate what we believe in. We need each other and our talents to come together to make each celebration special. Without each one of us, our church would not function as well. It would be like a family missing a family member at the celebration. The celebration does not feel the same.

Let's not forget about going to church through the summer. Remember - it's up to each one of us to make each Mass special. Also please remember to pray to the Father and ask for more laborers for the church. Our priests are getting older and many are retiring - there are not enough young men entering the priesthood to replace them. There are too few deacons in the diocese for all the work that needs to be done on the streets. There are too few sisters to help in the parishes as well. The harvest is great but the labors are few. Peace and have a blessed and enjoyable summer.

Posted on May 31 2010 by Deacon Paul Snyder III

This month we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, more commonly known as the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. As Catholics we hold sacred the belief that the Eucharist is the actual Body and Blood of our Lord. Yet for some, this miracle can be difficult to believe. We live in a world that demands proof for everything. To believe something without evidence is considered naïve. However, I have learned that often the most important matters in our lives must be taken as an Act of Faith. Just ask any parent of a teenager! However, Jesus understands our difficulties and to strengthen our Faith, He has allowed visible miracles of the Eucharist to occur.

One of the most famous Eucharistic Miracles took place in Lanciano, Italy around the year 700. A priest who feared that he was losing his Faith was celebrating Mass and during the consecration, the bread turned into actual human flesh and the wine turned into actual human blood. The Church declared this an authentic miracle and carefully protected the flesh and blood for future generations. Although this miracle took place almost 1300 years ago, to this day, you can still see the flesh displayed in a monstrance and the blood in a glass chalice.

In 1971 and 1981, a hospital laboratory tested the flesh and blood confirming what has been long held by the Faithful as true. The flesh proved to be of human origin and was a type of muscle tissue called myocardium, which comes from the human heart! The blood was tested to be the human blood type AB positive. This is an especially important finding because in 1978, NASA scientists tested the blood stains on the Shroud of Turin (believed to be the actual burial cloth of Jesus) and discovered it was also of the human blood type AB positive! Finally, despite the fact that human flesh and blood should not have remained preserved for 1300 years, the hospital lab tests found no trace of any preservatives!

Albert Einstein once said, “There are two ways to live. You can live as if nothing is a miracle or you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Einstein believed that everything was a miracle…what a wonderful way to see the World! Every time we are at Mass an authentic miracle takes place and it is nothing less than Jesus himself. During this month of June, please consider coming to daily Mass either at St. Mary’s or at a church near your place of work. You can make this a new lunchtime experience. It’s actually the way I found my own way back to Jesus.

Everyday a miracle is waiting to happen in your life……Go get it!!

Posted on May 05 2010 by Deacon Gary Hoover

Many years ago there was a small boy who, coming home from school, found his father in the middle of the living floor on his knees praying and crying. The boy asked his father, “What is wrong.” His father responded, “God has taken your mother home, she has died.” The little boy dropped his books on the floor, ran out of the house, down the street to the church. Entering the church he ran up to a statue of the Blessed Mother of Jesus, and knelt down. After a moment looking up at the statue, he called out to Mary and said, “God has taken my mother from me. Will you be my mother?”

This little boy, Karol Józef Wojtyla would become one of the greatest popes in history and would be known as John Paul II.

May is the month of Mary, a European tradition of May Day, the crowning of Mary. This tradition goes back to sixteenth century. Before that May Day was the celebration of the beginning of spring and the end of winter. In the old USSR May Day, the soviets attempted to take the day away from the christians and thus made it a workers day. But the Catholic church, as well as the Orthodox church, have long held the month of May to honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It’s believed by Our Church that after Mary’s assumption into heaven, she was crowned to be Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Our Parish was named in honor of Mary of the Assumption. We of course don’t worship her as a god but honor her for her motherhood, her life as the Mother of Jesus; her love and the suffering she endured for her son, as she witnessed his suffering, death and resurrection from the dead. As Catholic’s we believe that Mary continues to be a power intercessor with her Son, just as she was when she lived on earth. We ask Mary to help us, to pray for us, and to guide us. Also many people through out the world call on Mary, just as Karol Józef Wojty³a did when he was a little boy, to be their mother as well.

This is a good month to pray the rosary. Think about (meditate) the mysteries of the rosary. Think about the prayer:
Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, Blessed are you among women, and Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now and at the Hour of Death, Amen.

What powerful words to ask Mary to pray and intercede for us with her son, our Lord and God.

You can pray the rosary at church, with many others, prior to 9am mass daily (Monday-Saturday). The first Saturday of every Month is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a special rosary is said after the 9am mass on those days. Also our Parish celebrates May Day with a special mass. This year was on Saturday May 1 at 10:15am. Of course all are always invited and welcome to come to church here at St. Mary’s.

How to say the rosary and the mysteries to meditate on the rosary along with their bible references can be found on the internet at many websites or the one I found: www.catholiccompany.com/content/Mysteries-of-the-Rosary.cfm

Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Pray for us.

Posted on Apr 06 2010 by Deacon Paul Snyder III

The Sunday after Easter- April 11th is celebrated worldwide by Catholics as Divine Mercy Sunday. The origins of this special celebration began almost 100 years ago when a young Polish nun named Sr. Faustina began to receive special revelations from Jesus that He asked be shared with the whole world.

Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when “all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened”. Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of His Mercy.

Jesus promised that “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” He went on to say “I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.”

I want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise on this great Feast of Mercy “Divine Mercy Sunday”. I also ask you to share this with all of your family and friends!

About the feast day “Divine Mercy Sunday”, Jesus said “…tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy”.

If you would like to learn more, please visit the website www.divinemercysunday.com. May God bless you and your families with His Divine Mercy!