The Catholic Church of

St. Mary the Virgin

    It will be “business as usual” at our Masses today, but it is an exciting and special day for the Catholic Church as a whole, as His Holiness, Pope Francis canonizes 6 new Saints today in Rome. The Vatican on Tuesday announced that the canonization of Bl. Charles de Foucauld and six others will take place in Rome on May 15, 2022.The date of the canonization had been delayed due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

   The May 15 ceremony will be the Catholic Church’s first canonization Mass since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. It will take place two years and seven months after the most recent canonization, that of St. John Henry Newman and four others in October 2019.

    Bl. Charles de Foucauld was a dissolute French soldier who became a Trappist monk and Catholic missionary to Muslims in Algeria. Known as Brother Charles of Jesus, he was killed in 1916 at the age of 58. After his reverted to the Catholic faith, Foucauld wanted to imitate the life of Jesus, spending his last 13 years living among the Muslim Tuareg people, a nomadic ethnic group, in the desert of French-occupied Algeria. Pope Francis approved a miracle obtained through Foucauld’s intercession in May 2020, and the Church’s cardinals signed off on his and six other canonizations during a Vatican consistory a year later. 

    With Foucauld, Pope Francis will also canonize Devasahayam Pillai, a layman from India who was martyred after converting from Hinduism to Catholicism in the 18th century. Pillai, who is also known by his baptismal name, Lazarus, was beatified in 2012 in southern India. He will be the first lay Catholic in India to be declared a saint. Seven years after his conversion, Pillai was killed at the age of 40 by gunshot, after he had been falsely accused of treason. Two religious sisters will also be canonized on May 15: Bl. Maria Francesca di Gesù, the foundress of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of Loano, and Bl. Maria Domenica Mantovani, the co-foundress and first general superior of the Institute of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family. Bl. César de Bus, Bl. Luigi Maria Palazzolo, and Bl. Giustino Maria Russolillo — three priests who founded religious congregations and institutes — will also be declared saints.

   The Vatican was waiting for the global situation with COVID-19 to improve before it scheduled the event, and thousands of people from countries such as the United States, Canada, France, and Algeria are expected to travel to Rome for the ceremony. “Canonizations are not for the saints, they are for us,” a priest from the Congregation of Saints said at the conference announcing the canonizations, “Because for them it changes nothing. It changes nothing for them. It is for us. It is a great ecclesial act.” May the example of these new Saints inspire us to continue to strive for holiness here at SMV - who knows, there could be a future canonized saint among us!
 
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
 
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook 
 

    I know several Catholics who see May as the Month of Mary, and we all get the same question from time to time: Why is May Mary’s month? The Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, the group for whom we held our Swing dance Fundraiser, along with many other Religious Orders and regular Catholics, include honoring Mary during May. For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside the entire month of Mary to honor Mary, Mother of God. Not just a day in May, mind you, but the entire month. The custom spans both centuries and cultures, with roots going back as far as the Ancient Greeks. In early Greece, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity.

   In Ancient Rome, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of blooms, or blossoms. They celebrated ludi florals, or floral games, at the end of April and asked the intercession of Flora for all that blooms. In medieval times, similar customs abounded, all centering around the practice of expelling winter, as May 1 was considered the start of new growth. During this period, the tradition of Tricesimum, or “Thirty-Day Devotion to Mary,” came into being. Also called, “Lady Month,” the event was held from August 15-September 14 and is still observed in some areas.

   The idea of a month dedicated specifically to Mary can be traced back to baroque times. Although it wasn’t always held during May, Mary Month included thirty daily spiritual exercises honoring Mary. It was in this era that Mary’s Month and May were combined, making May the Month of Mary with special devotions organized on each day throughout the month. This custom became especially widespread during the nineteenth century and remains in practice until today.

   Some parishes have a daily recitation of the Rosary during May, and many erect a special May altar with a statue or picture of Mary as a reminder of Mary’s month. Additionally, it’s a long-standing tradition to crown the statue of Mary during May – a custom known as May Crowning. We will celebrate our May Crowning at both the 8:00 am and the 10:30 am Masses on May 22. Often, the crown is made of beautiful blossoms representing Mary’s beauty and virtue. It’s also a reminder to the faithful to strive to imitate our Blessed Mother’s virtue in our own lives.

   But May altars and crowning aren’t just “church” things. We can and should be doing the same in our homes. When we echo the customs and traditions of the Church in our homes – our domestic churches – we participate more fully in the life of the Church. Why not honor Mary, our Blessed Mother, and Mother of the Church (celebrated on May 28th), both here at our SMV Masses and in your own homes during this month of May?

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

   After the excitement of holy week and Easter, it is good for everybody to have a chance to relax. I am learning about relaxing, due to my recent experience this week. Allow me however, to thank all the people who worked so very hard, to make Palm Sunday, holy week, and Easter, very special at the Catholic Church of St. Mary the Virgin. We were blessed with record numbers at all services, and a palpable sense of what the resurrection really means for us.

   Our next celebration will be the birthday of the church, the celebration of Pentecost. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! The season of Easter is 50 days long, and just as we celebrated the season of Lent for 40 days, let us celebrate Easter for all 50. The season of spring is a season of growth and hope, as is Easter. 
 
   Look to our bulletin for news and announcements about our church, And don’t forget to take it home!
 
Faithfully, your friend and pastor,
 
Fr. Christopher a C. Stainbrook
 

   Our liturgical celebration for today, Divine Mercy Sunday, reflects the devotional elements of Divine Mercy – We no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for He is alive and has become the Lord of Life.

   In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.  In obedience to her spiritual director, Saint Faustina Kowalska wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God's mercy. 

   Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to The "Divine Mercy" had begun to spread. 
 
   The most familiar aspect of today is the “DIVINE MERCY IMAGE”.  In 1931, our Lord appeared to St. Faustina in a vision. She saw Jesus clothed in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was touching His garment in the area of the Heart, from where two large rays came forth, one red and the other pale. She gazed intently at the Lord in silence, her soul filled with awe, but also with great joy. At the request of her spiritual director, St. Faustina asked the Lord about the meaning of the rays in the   image. She heard these words in reply: 

   The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of Godshall not lay hold of him (299). By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works (742). 

   These words indicate that the Image represents the graces of Divine Mercy poured out upon the world,  especially through Baptism and the Eucharist. 
 
   Today’s celebration was established by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. We should always remember, though, that, Divine Mercy Sunday is NOT a feast based solely on St. Faustina's revelations. Indeed, it is not primarily about St. Faustina — nor is it altogether a new feast. 
 
   The Second Sunday of Easter was already a Solemnity, as the Octave Day of Easter. The title "Divine Mercy Sunday" does, however, highlight the meaning of today. “Jesus, I Trust in You!” 
 
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
 
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
 
 

   Today is Easter—the Queen of Feasts.  It is the most important day in the Church.

   Bishop Robert Barron of Television and You tube fame once said, “The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the “be-all and end-all” of Christian faith. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, all of us priests and bishops may as well go home and get honest jobs. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, all who stand and   profess Christian faith are basically crazy.”

   St Paul said something similar (although rather more elegantly!), when he wrote “If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, if Jesus is not risen from the dead, our preaching is in vain, and we are the most pitiable of all people.” (Corinthians 15:19)

   By His Resurrection, Christ has conquered Satan, Sin and Death. Jesus in His glorified body has broken the bonds of time and space. That’s how He was able to appear to Paul on the road to Damascus. That’s how He can become present in the bread and wine at Mass which become His very body and blood.

   Today, Easter Day, we recognize that Jesus’s  Resurrection is the “be-all and end-all” of our faith. We preach Christ crucified only because we know Jesus rose from the dead. In the Eucharist, we  worship, and receive , the Risen Christ.

    Today we go to the tomb of Jesus. It is empty.  I repeat it is EMPTY.

    If you go the tomb of Mohammed, it contains his mortal remains. Same with the burial places of  Buddha, Zoroaster or Confucius.

   But the tomb of Jesus is empty!

   Today is a day of wonder and renewal.

   Easter invites us all to renounce sin and profess our faith. It is our most important day in the church.

A blessed and Happy Easter to all!
 
Faithfully,
Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook.
 
 

   This week is Holy Week - the week before Easter Sunday. Easter itself is not part of Holy Week, but rather the beginning of the Easter season in the Liturgical year. Today, the 1st day of Holy Week, is Palm Sunday. On this day, we celebrate the triumphant entry of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, into Jerusalem, riding a donkey. On that day, the people laid palms before Him, a gesture reserved for triumphant leaders. We celebrate this at Mass by distributing palms to the faithful who may keep them for a time for use as devotional objects.   People sometimes craft portions of palm fronds into crosses.    Eventually, these palms are returned to the Church where they are burned. Traditionally, the ashes from the burned palms are saved and distributed at next year's Ash Wednesday services. We will bless Palms at all three masses today. We are also honored to welcome our Most Reverend Father in God, His Excellency, Bishop Steven Lopes at our 8:00 am and 10:30 am Masses this morning.

   The next major event in Holy Week is Holy Thursday (also known as “Maundy” Thursday). On this day, Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with the disciples at His Last Supper. This is the night He was betrayed by Judas and arrested. It is the night Our Blessed Lord   established both the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, and the Holy Catholic Priesthood. The unbloody Sacrifice of the Last Supper is celebrated at every Mass, and especially on Holy Thursday. After establishing the Mass at this Supper, Jesus went to the Mount of  Olives and prayed. From this event comes inspiration for our practice of Eucharistic Adoration, both throughout the night at the “Altar of Repose” on Holy Thursday, and throughout the year here at SMV with Eucharistic Adoration every Friday from Noon to 5pm. Whenever we attend Adoration, we are invited to spend one or more hours in prayer with Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist; Body, Blood, and Divinity.

   Our Blessed Lord was arrested on the night of Holy Thursday. The following day is Good Friday, the day, we commemorate the trial, punishment, and crucifixion of Christ.. On Good Friday morning, Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate for trial (after a detour to the court of the corrupt puppet King Herod). Although Pilate found no guilt in Jesus, he agreed to have him crucified to appease the crowd and   to prevent a riot.. Christ was then stripped, flogged, and crowned with thorns. He was then forced to carry His Cross to the place of His execution. There, He was nailed to the Cross between two thieves who were likewise crucified. Late that afternoon, to   ensure Christ's death, one of the guards stabbed Him in His side with a spear. When Jesus died, an earthquake is said to have occurred as well as a great darkness which covered the land. At that moment many people knew Jesus was the Son of God. The body of Jesus was taken and laid quickly in a borrowed tomb, in accord with Jewish law, which required the dead be buried by sundown before the Sabbath. In Catholic churches, the Tabernacle is left empty on Good Friday, to illustrate that Christ is departed.

   On Holy Saturday morning, we will not have our usual 9:00 am Mass or 10:00 am Confessions, rather on the evening of Holy Saturday, we celebrate the Great Vigil of Easter, a magnificent celebration when new Christians are baptized and received into the  Catholic Church. This Vigil concludes our Holy Week observances. The following day is, of course, Easter, the day on which it was discovered the Tomb was empty, and Our Lord was resurrected, triumphing over death once and for all time.

   We hope that as many of our Parishioners will be able to attend these venerable celebrations - they truly “set the stage” for our fullest participation on Easter Day - and allow us, as the Bishop said in his video to the Ordinariate (posted on our Facebook page), to be    PARTICIPANTS in Holy Week, not merely SPECTATORS. 

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