The Catholic Church of

St. Mary the Virgin

   The great feast of Pentecost is observed on the seventh Sunday after Easter and 10 days after Ascension. This year Pentecost Sunday is observed today, Sunday, May 28th. 
   Pentecost is the festival when Christians (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and some Protestants like Episcopalians, Methodists and Lutherans who keep some Catholic practices) celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. (The word “Pentecost" comes from the Greek pentekoste, meaning “fiftieth’).     Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Catholic church, and the start of the Church's mission to the world. Today, then, we say Happy Birthday to the Catholic Church! Happy birthday, indeed, to you,
who are the body of the Church. A special Happy Feast Day to our 6 new Catholics who will be Confirmed and/or Received into the Catholic Church at the 10:30 Solemn Mass today. 
   The symbols of Pentecost are the flame, wind, and the dove, which represent the Holy Spirit. The color of Pentecost is red, and the priests wear red vestments at Mass. Sometimes parishioners choose to wear red on this day. The color red is used at Pentecost to recall the fiery tongues that descended upon the Apostles and The Blessed Virgin Mary when they received the Holy Spirit. (The color red is also worn at masses of the Holy Cross, of Apostles, and Martyrs, as symbol of their bloody passions - ie. their sufferings and deaths.)
   All of us who have received one and the same Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, are in a sense blended with one another and with God. For if Christ, together with the Father's and His own Spirit, comes to dwell in each of us, though we are many, still the Spirit is one and undivided. He binds together the spirits of each and every one of us, and makes all appear as one in him. 
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church 
    737 The mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in the Church, which is the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. This joint mission henceforth brings Christ's faithful to share in his communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, to draw them to Christ. The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the Eucharist, to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may "bear much fruit.” 
   738 Thus the Church's mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.
   739  Because the Holy Spirit is the anointing of Christ, it is Christ who, as the head of the Body, pours out the Spirit among his members to nourish, heal, and organize them in their mutual functions, to give them life, send them to bear witness, and associate them to his self-offering to the Father and to his intercession for the whole world. Through the Church's sacraments, Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body.
   Happy Birthday, then, to our 6 new adult Catholics and to all of us who are members of the Catholic Church, on this celebration of Pentecost and always!

Faithfully,

Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook. 
 

   I’ve written about Christmastide, Epiphanytide, Passiontide, and then Eastertide in previous letters this year. Last Thursday, May 18th, the Church entered the season of “Little Advent,” the Lord’s own novena given to the Apostles: Ascensiontide. 
   Just as in winter Advent, the Church waits in joyful and fearful expectation for the Lord’s coming in the flesh, the Little Advent of Ascensiontide awaits a mysterious and unknown power promised by the Ascended Christ. As we heard in the Epistle of the Ascension. (God) raised him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, (Ephesians 1:17-23)
   Christ has come as King to conquer the Kingdom of Satan and establish the Kingdom of God. Before He could take possession of His Kingdom, He had to fight and overcome the false king. As St. Paul says: that, through death, he might destroy him who had the empire of death the devil: And might deliver them, who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to servitude (Heb. 2:14–15). The vile and repugnant  Satan is the false king who (temporarily) holds the empire of death; His Majesty Jesus Christ is the true King who, coming to the mountain of Ascension and despoiling the principalities and powers, he hath exposed them confidently in open shew, triumphing over them in himself (Col. 2:15). 
   The Gospel of the Feast of the Ascension is among my favorite passages in Scared Scripture. It is called:” The Great Commission” to the Church: All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world (Mt. 28:18–20). Therefore, He says as the King who has now conquered and subdued the empire of death. Our Lord ascends His throne in Heaven to show that His kingdom is not of this world — not merely material. Yet He sends the
 Holy Spirit to make His rule as effective on Earth as it is in Heaven (just as we pray every day in the Our Father Prayer)— not merely spiritual, so that every kingdom and government in this world may bend the knee to the Holy Name of Jesus. 
   These are the deeds of our fathers, who by the Holy Spirit fearlessly converted emperors and kings who reigned through death and built that great civilization called Christendom.
This “Little Advent”: this Ascensiontide, let us remember eleven men and the Virgin Mary, waiting for the promised power from on high, and marvel at how this power changed the world forever. 
   The King still sits upon His throne, sending His power from on high. Therefore, let us not worry about the world crumbling before us, nor become despondent about the Church and her vicissitudes. Let us, instead, seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you (Mt. 6:33). 

Faithfully, Your friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
 

   “May is Mary’s Month,” began the great poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ, in “The May Magnificat.” For centuries, the Catholic Church has emphasized the month of May as a time of honor and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Parishes and families often celebrate with special pilgrimages, devotions, or placing a crown on a statue of Mary, traditionally called a “May Crowning.” We will begin our 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Masses today with a May Crowning.
   The image of Mary wearing a gold crown appears in early Eastern and Western iconography, drawing inspiration from the Coronation of Mary as understood in Catholic Biblical tradition based on the passage from Revelation 12:1
The May Crowning is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual which began when Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) first placed two crowns on the Marian icon called “Salus Populi Romani” in the Roman Basilica of St. Mary Major, (unfortunately, these crowns were later lost.) On the Feast of the Assumption in 1838, Pope Gregory XVI once again added crowns in a special rite, officially starting the tradition as it is still performed today.
   The May Crowning itself is a solemn procession to a statue of the Blessed Virgin where it is crowned with a garland or crown of flowers honoring Mary as “the Queen of May.” We recall from Sacred Scripture that Elizabeth greeted the her cousin, the Blessed Virgin, pregnant with Jesus, as “the mother of my Lord” (Lk 1:41-43). 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 a way she won the “crown of righteousness” (II Tim 4:8), the “crown of life” (Jas 1:12; Rev 2:10), the “crown of glory” (I Pet 5:4) that is promised to those who follow Christ.
   One reason the devotion to Mary is extended over the entire month is the abundance of Marian feast days in May such as Mary, Queen of the Apostles (Saturday before Pentecost), Our Lady of Fatima, Mary Help of Christians, and the Visitation. Pope Francis decreed that the Church celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary in her unique role as “Mother of the Church” on the Monday after Pentecost. Pope Francis added this Memorial to the Roman Calendar after carefully considering how the promotion of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under this particular title might encourage growth in “the maternal sense of the Church.” 
   Throughout the years, many faithful saw Mary’s attributes in the herbs and flowers growing around them.  Many flowers and herbs are symbolically associated with Mary’s life and many people create “Mary Gardens”. A Mary Garden is a small sacred garden enclosing a statue or shrine of the Virgin Mary. Select flowers, shrubs, and plants or even trees associated with Mary are planted in the garden. (Many thanks to our devoted parishioners who faithfully tend our “Mary Garden” in front of the church!)
   Continuing this floral tradition, the Knights of Columbus will be presenting roses to all our mothers at mass today, both in honor of Our Blessed Mother, and in recognition of today as “Mothers’ Day”
   Join with the Church this month of May, the Month of Mary, in honoring Her, beginning with our special crowning today.
“Ave,  Ave,  Ave  Maria!”

Faithfully, Your friend and Pastor,

Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
 

    The month of May is the month of our Patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Catholic custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century. In this way, the Church was able to Christianize the secular feasts which were wont to take place at that time. In the 16th century, books appeared and fostered this devotion. The practice was granted a partial indulgence by Pius VII in 1815 and a plenary indulgence by Pius IX in 1859. With the complete revision of indulgences in 1966 and the decreased emphasis on specific indulgences, it no longer carries an indulgence; however it certainly falls within the category of the First General Grant of Indulgences. (A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in the performance of their duties and in bearing the trials of life, raise their mind with humble confidence to God, adding — even if only mentally — some pious invocation.)  
   The pious practice of honoring Mary during the month of May has been especially recommended by the Popes. Pius XII made frequent reference to it and in his great Encyclical On the Sacred Liturgy  characterized it as one of "other exercises of piety which although not strictly belonging to the Sacred Liturgy, are nevertheless of special import and dignity, and may be considered in a certain way to be an addition to the liturgical cult: they have been approved and praised over and over again by the Apostolic See and by the Bishops" (no. 182). Pope St. Paul VI wrote a short encyclical in 1965 using the  month of Marian devotions as a means of obtaining prayers for peace. He urged the faithful to make use of this practice which is "gladdening and consoling" and by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored and the Christian people are enriched with spiritual gifts" (no. 2). In May of 2002 Pope St. John Paul II said, "Today we begin the month dedicated to Our Lady a favourite of popular devotion. In accord with a long-standing tradition of devotion, parishes and families continue to make the month of May a 'Marian' month, celebrating it with many devout liturgical, catechetical and pastoral initiatives!”
   The following practices which are recommended by the Magisterium are offered as suggestions for honoring Our Lady during Her month. Here are some familiar (or new to some) beautiful Marian practices which can be added to our devotions this month.
   Litanies of the Blessed Virgin Mary These consist of a long series of invocations to Our Lady, which follow in a uniform rhythm, thereby creating a stream of prayer characterized by insistent praise and supplication. The Litany of Loreto is one of the many Marian litanies, composed during the Middle Ages. The place of honor it now holds, in the life of the Church, is due its faithful use at the shrine of the Holy House at Loreto, which, according to tradition, was the small cottage-like home where the Holy Family had lived and which was miraculously transported by angels, in 1291, from the Holy Land to its present location in Loreto. It was definitely recommended by Pope Clement VII and approved by Sixtus V in 1587, and all other Marian litanies were suppressed, at least for public use.
   The Regina Caeli Which we pray before all daily masses in Eastertide instead of the usual Angelus (see previous bulletins for letters about the Regina Caeli and Eastertide)
    The Rosary is one of the most excellent prayers to the Mother of God. Thus, "the Roman Pontiffs have repeatedly exhorted the faithful to the frequent recitation of this biblically inspired prayer which is centered on contemplation of the salvific events of Christ's life, and their close association with the Virgin Mother” The Glorious Mysteries are most appropriate for the Month of May, although any of them suffice, for they all reflect on her in one way or another (Joy, Sorrow, etc.)
    The Brown Scapular and other Scapulars The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer. Please note that enrollment in the Brown Scapular is not done at the regular 2nd Saturday blessing table, but in the sacristy. Please contact the Parish Office for more information. 
    Medals These are witnesses of faith and a sign of veneration of the Holy Mother of God, as well as of trust in her maternal protection. The Church blesses such objects of Marian devotion in the belief that "they help to remind the faithful of the love of God, and to increase trust in the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Medals are blessed on the 2nd Saturday of the month, after the 9:00 a.m. Mass. 
   The month of May is one which is rich in tradition, and an especially beautiful time of the year to honor our heavenly mother.


Faithfully, your friend and Pastor,

Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook