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From the Pastor
PARISH MISSION STATEMENT
Our
Lady of the Annunciation Roman Catholic Parish is a people of living faith
rooted in the Gospel, centered on the Eucharist and led by the Holy Spirit.
We are inspired by the example of Mary to continue the mission of Jesus
Christ by ministering to all.
August 17, 2008
LITTLE SISTERS
OF THE POOR COLLECTION
The Little Sisters of the Poor
will speak at all of the masses next weekend and will take up a collection
for the support of their work among the elderly poor. The Little Sisters
conduct the center for the aging in Gallup located at 1900 Mark Avenue.
For over 23 years the Little
Sisters of the Poor have been caring for the needy elderly, providing them
with a home, nursing care, and above all, love and respect, which is so
important.
In order to maintain their home,
the Sisters go out daily to solicit for the needs of the aged. Any help you
may be able to give them will be deeply appreciated.
NATURAL FAMILY
PLANNING (NFP)
The Sympto-Thermal Method of
Natural Family Planning is healthy and highly effective at planning your
family with God’s guidance. Using NFP, marginal fertility and other medical
problems can often be detected and corrected simply. It is also great
marriage insurance, with divorce rates less than 5%. Find out what it means
to renew your marriage covenant and give God’s grace to each other each day
in this sacrament. The first of a series of three classes will begin this
Sunday, August 17th from 1:00—3:00 PM in St. Francis
Hall, 2611 Utah NE, 87110.
August 10, 2008
FEAST OF THE
ASSUMPTION: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15TH
We will have three Masses for the
Holy Day: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. school Mass and 5:30 p.m. Let
us celebrate Our Lady’s Assumption into heaven and thank her for her
maternal solicitude.
JUBILEE SHRINE
Archbishop Sheehan has designated
Our Lady of the Annunciation Church as one of four places of pilgrimage in
the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for the Jubilee Year of St. Paul. Consequently,
we will be setting up a shrine area in our church dedicated to St. Paul to
honor him and his great work for Lord Jesus. Pope Benedict permits each
bishop to designate churches where the holy year indulgence may be
obtained.
The Archbishop states that “A
plenary indulgence may be obtained any day during the holy year by making a
pilgrimage, individually or with others, to one of these churches and
fulfilling the conditions required by the Church. The following dates have
special significance:
a. January 25, 2009 Conversion of
St. Paul
b. February 10, 2009 Shipwreck of
St. Paul
c. April 19, 2009 Divine Mercy
Sunday
d. June 19, 2009 Solemnity of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus
e. June 28-29 Vigil and Solemnity
of Saints Peter and Paul
The conditions required for
obtaining a plenary indulgence are the following:
a. Sacramental Confession within
a week of the pilgrimage
b. Reception of Holy Communion
c. Prayers for the intentions of
the Pope (such as one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be)
d. A spirit of total detachment
of any inclination to sin
e. A desire to join spiritually
in the jubilee celebration in honor of St. Paul.
In addition to any special
intention that each person may bring to the pilgrimage, I ask you to pray
for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life and our
outreach of evangelization to the inactive Catholics and unchurched
people....In the Year of St. Paul let us gladly join with our Holy Father
and with fellow Catholics around the world seeking a deeper conversion in
imitation of the zeal of St. Paul.”
As we develop this shrine, we
will have holy cards with Pauline prayers available and will encourage
meditation on the writings of St. Paul. You may wish to consult the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1471 and following, on the value
and true meaning of an indulgence. The ultimate purpose is to help us
obtain holiness of life and purity of heart. May God grant that this be a
year of great grace as we walk spiritually in the footsteps of St. Paul.
ANNUNCIATION
SCHOOL OPENS
Please pray for our teachers,
staff and students as we open our school year this week. Do be cautious
when driving around the children, especially at the opening and closing
times of day.
August 3, 2008
TRANSFERS AND
VOCATIONS
For those in religious vows,
there is one thing that remains constant: transfers. As you know, Father
Titus leaves this week to begin his new assignment at Holy Trinity Parish in
Arroyo Seco. We will surely miss this wonderful priest and friend and will
pray for his well-being and new ministry. Thank you, once again, Father
Titus for your priestly witness and service to the people of God here in
Albuquerque. Thanks to the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate for sending you
and Father Joseph to us here at Annunciation Parish.
God’s ways are indeed
mysterious. One of my college classmates, Bruce Davidson, pondered
religious vocation with me back in the 1970's. While I always felt he had a
vocation, he went in another direction for the last 30 years. I am happy to
say that he finally joined a community, the Redemptorists in Chicago, over a
year ago, and is making his first vows next weekend. I look forward to
concelebrating the ceremony for Bruce in Chicago and to supporting his
long-awaited commitment to Christ and the Church in the Order of the Most
Holy Redeemer. This reminds me that we should never stop praying for
someone’s vocation. Some just take longer to respond to the call than
others.
Let us also remember to pray for
the perseverance of our parishioners in formation like
Dominic Lafayette, who returns to seminary in Oregon in a few weeks. Pray
too for Sr. Markley Morrow who continues her studies for the Dominican
Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, near Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Remember Ryan Cody who has trained for the priesthood under the Dominicans
in Denver and is entering a community in Ireland. May the Lord and Our Lady
strengthen them and encourage them in their journey of faith. May God grant
many others to follow in their footsteps.
ARCHBISHOP’S
LETTER ON CONFESSION
I am pleased with the response to
Archbishop Sheehan’s pastoral letter on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
For those of you requesting copies of the letter, you will find it in the
upcoming issue of
People of God.
July 27, 2008
CATHOLIC RADIO
We
have all had the opportunity to listen to Catholic Radio here in Albuquerque
for several years now. Perhaps you enjoy listening to the Archbishop’s Hour
during drive time and learning more about events and ministries around the
Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Perhaps you like to hear one of the national
programs or even some of the international events of Pope Benedict.
Sometimes you may get a new insight on an old theological issue by someone
calling in to a live program. However you have been touched, next weekend,
August 2nd
and 3rd,
will be our opportunity to listen to our regional director for Immaculate
Heart Radio update us on the work of Catholic Radio. Many maintain that the
radio may be one of the most effective ways of reaching the unchurched.
Please consider how you might be able to answer Immaculate Heart Radio’s
appeal to help in their work of evangelization.
VOLUNTEER
COMMUNION MINISTERS
Volunteer Communion Ministers are
needed for Lovelace Downtown/Rehab hospitals. If you have an hour a week to
spare, able-bodied, flexible hours, contact Deacon Fabian at 727-2700,
training will be provided. Join the already existing team of ministers who
partner with medical professionals in providing spiritual healing.
FAREWELL FR.
TITUS
All parishioners are invited next
Sunday, August 3rd to Coffee and Donuts, following the 9:00 AM & 10:30 AM
Masses, to extend your best wishes to our
beloved Fr. Titus Augustine, CMI as he
prepares for his new appointment as Administrator of the Church of the Holy
Trinity in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico. Archbishop Sheehan has made this
appointment effective August 9, 2008. We will certainly miss Fr. Titus’
joyful presence here at Annunciation Parish. We wish Father every blessing
in his new assignment and assure him of our prayers and support.
THE CANOSSIAN DAUGHTERS OF
CHARITY AND CASA ANGELICA
Annual Benefit Dinner
Prairie Star Restaurant,
Bernalillo, NM
Friday, August 22, 2008
6:00 PM—Social Hour & Silent
Auction
7:00 PM—Dinner
$125.00/Person; $1,000.00/a
table for 10; $1,250.00/Sponsor Table
For Information or
Reservations, please call Louise at 505-877-5763.
ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
First Friday Adoration
will begin
after the 8:30 AM Mass and end with Benediction at
5:00
PM on Friday, August 1, 2008. We invite you to come and spend time with
our Lord in the
Blessed Sacrament.
FIRST SATURDAY MASS
Saturday, August 2,
2008 at 8:30 AM
July 20, 2008
FR. TITUS’
TRANSFER
Our beloved Father Titus
Augustine, CMI has been appointed Administrator of the Church of the Holy
Trinity in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico. Archbishop Sheehan has made this
appointment effective August 9, 2008. We will certainly miss Fr. Titus’
joyful presence here at Annunciation Parish. We wish Father every blessing
in his new assignment and assure him of our prayers and support. If you
find yourself in the Taos area, just travel north to the next parish and you
can look Fr. Titus up at Holy Trinity Church on the road to the ski basin
there. Please extend your best wishes to Father over the next few weeks as
he prepares to head north.
Thank you, Fr. Titus, for the
faith and love you have shared with us and for all the good you have done
here at Annunciation Parish! Blessings upon you, now and always.
CANOSSIAN JUBILEE THANK YOU
Thank you to all who have
volunteered their time and talent for the 200th Anniversary Celebration for
our Canossian Sisters. All of you put in such a great effort that that the
jubilee was a great celebration and success. God bless you for your
generosity.
July 13, 2008
THE CANOSSIAN
BICENTENNIAL JUBILEE
Our Canossian Sisters and the Lay
Canossians are celebrating the 200th
anniversary of their founding in Verona, Italy by Saint Magdalene of Canossa.
The Canossian Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor, form an
international congregation of women whose actions arise from their identity
born of Christ Crucified, the Greatest Love. They are called to journey in
simplicity, sharing life in common at the service of their sisters and
brothers on every continent.
Through ministries of education
and human promotion, evangelization and faith formation, and pastoral care
among the suffering, they strive to touch each person with the love of God.
Their motto is to “make Jesus known and loved,” especially to those most in
need.
Annunciation Parish has been
blessed to have the presence and ministry of the Canossian Sisters since its
foundation, almost fifty years ago. Let us salute and thank the Canossians
for their service to the Church in our parish and throughout the world.
Some had the privilege of attending the canonization of St. Magdalene in
1988 and others the canonization of another famous Canossian Sister, St.
Bakita, in 2000. Let us pray for their intercession for new vocations to
the Daughters of Charity and the perseverance of those serving the Church
today. For vocation information, please contact the Provincial House at
5625 Isleta Blvd., SW here in Albuquerque, NM 87105 or call 873-2854. You
can also check out their website at
www.fdcc.org.
Congratulations on 200 years of
blessings and thanks for all you do for us here at Annunciation!
ST. MAGDALENE
OF CANOSSA PRAYER
O God, Father of goodness, You
revealed Your love to the humble and to the children, by raising in Your
Church Saint Magdalene of Canossa, to be the servant of the poor; grant
that we may seek you above all things and serve the poor and the little ones
in the true spirit of charity and humility, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
MIDWEST FLOOD
VICTIMS
If you are still looking for ways
to assist the victims of the floods in the Midwest, consider contacting the
national office of Catholic Charities at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org and
they will direct you in how to donate and help them immediately.
PASTOR AWAY
I will be away for a retreat this
coming week followed by a week of vacation. I leave you in the good hands
of our Carmelite Fathers until I return and assure you of my prayers in the
meantime.
Summertime blessings to all.
JULY 6, 2008
INDEPENDENCE
DAY WEEKEND
Celebrating the Fourth of July
always gives us an opportunity to thank God for the nation in which we live,
the liberty which we enjoy and the blessings we have received. Let us take
time to pray that we might use our freedom well for the good of others.
Jesus has freed us from sin so that we might live in the liberty of the
children of God. That is to say that we are free to live in His love and to
witness to that love by our lives. Freedom is for virtue, not for vice.
The following is a prayer for the nation, under the patronage of Mary
Immaculate, which some attribute to Archbishop John Carroll of Baltimore,
the first bishop of the United States:
“Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in
Heaven, who chose Mary as the fairest of Your daughters; Holy Spirit, who
chose Mary as Your Spouse; God the Son who chose Mary as Your Mother, in
union with Mary we adore Your Majesty and acknowledge Your supreme, eternal
dominion and authority.
Most Holy Trinity, we put the
United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she
may present the country to You. Through her we wish to thank You for the
great resources of this land and for the freedom which has been its
heritage. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic
Church in America. Grant us peace. Have mercy on our President and on all
the officers of our government. Grant us a fruitful economy, born of
justice and charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect
the family life of the nation. Guard the precious gift of many religious
vocations. Through the intercession of Our Mother, have mercy on the sick,
the tempted, sinners–on all who are in need.
Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Our
Mother, Patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give
ourselves to you. Protect us from every harm. Pray for us, that acting
always according to your will and the Will of your Divine Son, we may live
and die pleasing to God. AMEN.”
MODESTY AND
DIGNITY IN CHURCH
Archbishop Sheehan sent a letter
to pastors recently asking us to remind our parishioners of the importance
of modesty in dress in Church. Yes, during the summer months particularly,
we see people dressing down so far that it might appear they are going to
the beach rather than to the House of the Lord. If we remember that we are
all living temples of God, as St. Paul reminds us, then we would surely use
dignity and modesty in dress so as not to tempt or distract others from the
worship of the Lord. Once again, I ask that you remember to keep silence in
Church before and after Mass so that people may prepare themselves before
Mass in prayer and give thanks to God after Mass in prayer as well. Silence
the cell phones before you even get into Church so that our prayer is not
disturbed. Take advantage of the cry room when the little ones get unruly.
Make room for guests and parishioners in the pews as graciously as
possible. In his First Letter to the Corinthians 6:19-20, St. Paul writes
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you ,
which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought
with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”
ANNIVERSARY
MASS
Mark your calendar to join
Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan and our Canossian Sisters at the 12:00 PM Mass
on Sunday, July 13, 2008 as they celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the
founding of their order.
JUNE
29, 2008
JUBILEE YEAR
OF SAINT PAUL
We are fortunate to have begun
this Holy Year honoring the 2000th
anniversary of St. Paul’s birth with Dr. Gray’s conferences on the first
journey of St. Paul and the
Letter to the Romans. I
hope that we will all spend more time studying and praying over the writings
of St. Paul, perhaps consider a letter a month. You might want to begin by
reading about St. Paul’s life in the
Acts of the
Apostles, chapters 8
through 28. May the heroic life and faith of St. Paul be an inspiration to
all of us throughout the Holy Year.
THE FEAST OF
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL
I have always found it
interesting that the Church celebrates the lives of the two princes of the
apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, together. They could not have been more
opposite characters! Peter was a fisherman with a big heart and a loud
mouth. Paul was a scholar and a religious zealot. When the two came
together, as they did on several occasions, they collided on several
issues. Nonetheless, after working things out through prayer and dialogue,
they became champions of the new Christian faith we call Roman Catholicism.
Both ended up giving their lives as martyrs in Rome, where they are buried.
It goes to show us how God uses very different people and personalities to
carry out the mission of the Church. That happens even today with the wide
variety of followers of Christ and the many different Rites within the
Church, from Latins to Byzantines! Let us thank God for the witness of the
Apostles Peter and Paul and ask their intercession for the unity of the
Church in our own community and throughout the world.
THE NATION’S
BIRTHDAY
We will celebrate Mass on
Independence Day with prayer for the nation at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, the
fourth of July. This happens to be the First Friday of July and therefore a
day of prayer with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Church beginning
after Mass and concluding with benediction at 5:00 p.m. There will also be
a 5:30 p.m. Mass in the Adoration Chapel that same evening, before exposing
the Blessed Sacrament once again for silent prayer. With ample
opportunities to pray for our nation on July the fourth, please consider
taking some time with Our Lord to pray for spiritual renewal in our land.
There will be a sign up sheet in the vestibule of the Church. God Bless
America!
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