The Firstborn of God: The Birth of Mary's Son, Jesus by Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS has arrived at the Parish Offices. Reserve your copy now.
Praying As Family: Retreat for Parents, Grandparents: Monday December 5th in Holy Cross Auditorium, 7:00 PM
Two Dominican sisters of St. Cecelia Congregation will visit and speak with us about praying as a family. In simple and engaging language, they will direct families step-by-step in beginning to pray together and in deepening their prayer.
Families who have used this book say that they have found especially helpful the sections on how to begin family bedtime prayers, the monthly family meeting, and praying with one’s spouse. They have commented that this guide is simple, practical, and profound. “Helping children learn the habit of prayer,” writes Archbishop Charles Chaput in the Forward, “becomes one of the most important lessons a family can share.”
Everyone is invited, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Babysitting will be provided. Call to reserve a copy of the sisters' book
Join us for two sessions of spiritual reflections, prayer and discussion during Advent. We will begin in the church with Evening Prayer and then adjourn to the St. Joseph Meeting Room for a discussion of Eugene LaVerdiere's book The Firstborn of God: The Birth of Mary's Son Jesus (Luke 2:1-21)
The book is a perfect mix of scholarly tidbits about Scripture and pastoral reflection for prayer on the Gospel of Luke, especially the infancy narrative.
The "Conclusion" chapter discusses Luke's use of word paintings in his gospel and references El Greco's Adoration of the Shepherds.
We'll condense our sessions to two in order to free up time as the Advent season comes to a close and Christmas approaches: November 30 and December 7th. On November 30 we will have Evening Prayer at 7:00 in the church followed by the discussion and reflection at approx. 7:15 PM. On December 7th there will be a Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception at 7:00 PM.
It was an amazing coincidence to discover that the sisters would already be in our diocese that week and were able to extend their visit and add us to their itinerary.
The sisters will make a presentation to our Holy Cross students during the day. Monday evening they will discuss the topic of Family Prayer with school parents and parishioners alike based on their publication
We will be extending an invitation for parishioners in our cohort and surrounding parishes to join us for this prayerful recollection in Advent.
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Thank you to those who came to the viewing and discussion of the film Jerusalem held in the St. Joseph Meeting Room. There was good attendance and the streaming media ran on our new OLED TV screen perfectly. The photography was stunning and even those who have been to the Holy Land gained a new insight into the geography and layout of the Holy City.
There is no meeting next Wednesday to make room for the Diocesan sponsored Holy Hour for Families being held in each parish which is fortunate enough to have Holy Door of Mercy.
Here is the schedule for Wednesday night Adult Faith Formation meetings, Faith Seeking Understanding. All meetings will begin at 7:00 PM in the St. Joseph Meeting Room in the lower level of the church.
The text for the Passion narrative of Luke with be the book by Donald Senior. We have ordered 10 copies. Depending on its delivery date, we will begin the discussion on March 9th and conclude it on March 23rd (during Holy Week). If the book does not arrive in time for March 9 (it is back ordered) we will defer the discussion until 23 March.
Please feel free to join us for one or all the meetings. The book The Passion Narrative in Luke will be available for purchase in the Parish Center, or at the Wednesday meetings when they become available.
The revisions of canon law concerning the marriage annulment process promulgated by Pope Francis in his September 8 motu proprio letter Mitis Iudex Dominus Jesus (The Lord Jesus, the Meek Judge) take effect December 8, 2015. Until that date, the annulment process in the Diocese of Trenton will continue as it currently exists and those with cases currently pending will not be affected.
In canon law, valid consent exchanged between one man and one woman makes the marriage valid. NO CHANGE PRESENTED HERE.
Annulments are not “divorces, Catholic style.” A divorce is a declaration of civil law that the parties to a marriage have permanently separated because the marriage union has irreparably broken down. The Catholic Church believes and teaches that, despite a divorce according to civil law, the “bond of marriage” cannot be dissolved by any power except death. Divorced Catholics, therefore, are not free to remarry unless: (a) the spouse dies; or (b) an annulment is granted by the Church. An annulment on the other hand is a declaration of canon law that the original consent to marriage was defective to the point that no marriage actually or ever took place. Such a declaration requires investigation and proof. Just as a civil divorce has no effects before the Church, a Church annulment has no effects before civil law. For example, the children of an annulled marriage do not become illegitimate. NO CHANGE PRESENTED HERE.
The only fee attached to the granting of an annulment concerns the costs of services employed in the process (eg., secretarial assistance and salaries in the Tribunal; the use of experts by the Tribunal; office utilities, stationery, communications in the Tribunal; maintenance of the Tribunal, etc.). The Diocese of Trenton requests a $700 contribution for these purposes. Last year, the a Diocese subsidized 2/3 of all Tribunal costs with contributions constituting less than 1/3 of all costs incurred. Pope Francis has not eliminated this fee. He has “recommended” its elimination whenever possible, in accordance with the considerations of the episcopal conference of the country and the ability of Tribunals to support themselves. The total cost of the Tribunal operations to the Diocese was $292,412 last year alone.
The revisions to the annulment process made by Pope Francis that will affect the Diocese of Trenton include:
1. The required automatic appeal of an affirmative decision regarding marriage nullify has been eliminated; parties may make an appeal if they so choose;
3. The texts of some provisions of canon law have been changed; the revisions are procedural in nature and do not alter Church doctrine;
4. The local bishop has been asked to develop structures for his Diocese that demonstrate an effort to expedite the marriage annulment process. These will be communicated once developed.
The December 8 implementation date provides the Diocese of Trenton with ample lead time to study the revisions further, to discern their consequences and to make any required changes deemed necessary. As Bishop, I do not anticipate the transition to be unduly burdensome. Any effort to make ecclesiastical procedures less bureaucratic and more accessible, without compromise to Church teachings and beliefs, should be seen as positive.
Join us at 7 PM for viewing and discussion of the history and the great works of art contained within the Cathedral of Monreale.