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Reflecting on Year for Priests By Bishop Thomas Wenski

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about Year for Priests.

June 19 was the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is associated with St. Margaret Mary – just as devotion to the Divine Mercy is associated with St. Faustina. These devotions add nothing to the revelation of faith but they do foster a richer appreciation of the revelation which is about the God who is love, the God because he loves us remains close to us.

Pope Benedict wished that this solemnity mark the beginning of the Year for Priests. For some time, this Feast has been associated with the priesthood. John Paul II designated the feast of the Sacred Heart as a day of prayer for the sanctification of priests. And, this Year for Priests – which commemorates the 150 th anniversary of St. John Vianney’s death – has the sanctification of priests as its very purpose. Read more...

Bishop Thomas Wenski and Father John McCormick
celebrate Mass on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus at the Cathedral of St. James marking
the start of the "Year for Priests."

 

Vacation and Mass Attendance By Bishop Wenski

When I was a young seminarian, the rector before dismissing us for our summer break would admonish us: remember, guys, there’s no vacation from a vocation. This was certainly wise advice – we were after all still seminarians even when away from the structured environment of the seminary with its fixed times for prayer and daily Mass. And I think this is wise counsel to all of us Catholics even as we plan for vacations that take us away from our homes and parishes. There can be no vacation from our fundamental Christian vocation to holiness. Fidelity to weekly Mass attendance is inextricably linked to that vocation.

Here in Central Florida, we can rightly be edified by our fellow Catholics who come to the many attractions of our area and seek out Sunday Mass even though they are far from their homes. The Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, welcomes thousands of such visitors each week. Fr. Edward McCarthy and his priest helpers provide an important service to these vacationers in making the Sacrament of Penance readily available to them and providing them the opportunity of participation in Sunday Mass.

While there might not be a Shrine Church like Mary, Queen of the Universe, at our particular vacation destination, we too must make every effort to make sure that we attend Mass on Sunday. Participation in the Sunday Eucharist is an obligation for every practicing Catholic – and vacation does not dispense us from this weekly encounter with Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – for it is only through these sacramental encounters with the Lord that we can grow in the grace necessary to be faithful to our baptismal vocation to holiness.

Finding a place to attend Mass while far from home may often not be easy – but with the help of some advance planning, we can usually find one wherever we may go. The web-site www.Masstimes.org has a listing of Mass schedules in parishes throughout the United States. Also most tourist friendly places readily offer information as to the location of the nearest Catholic Church.

As Catholics we belong to more than just our parish – we are members of a universal Church and therefore we are never strangers when we meet with other Catholics to celebrate the great Mystery of our Faith which is the Holy Mass. Vacations are a time of rest – a time to recharge our batteries so to speak. But as we take advantage of our vacation days to spend time with our loved ones and to rest from the everyday demands and routines of work, let us not neglect to also “rest in the Lord” on the day in which we commemorate his love for us in the Sunday Eucharist. If we are serious about our Christian commitment, we cannot neglect to recharge our spiritual batteries in the central act of our worship, the source and summit of all Christian life: the Mass. There can never be a vacation from our vocation.

 

Cathedral of St. James Renovation

Effective Monday, July 6, the Cathedral of St. James will be undergoing a renovation, expansion and restoration project that is expected to last approximately 18 months. During this time, Mass will be celebrated in the St. James Social Hall, which has been transformed into a place of worship. Daily chapel and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will also be located in the Social Hall. The daily and Sunday Mass schedule will remain the same.

The Cathedral is nearly 60 years old and is in need of many repairs, including a new roof, sound system, and air conditioning system as well as updated plumbing and electrical. In addition to these renovations, the Cathedral will be restored to its original architectural style and be enhanced by new liturgical art such as painted murals, marble and stain glass windows. The Cathedral will also be expanded to allow for additional seating, a larger choir loft, extended Chapel and a much more open sanctuary.

The Cathedral building project is made possible by the Alive in Christ Campaign.